A man was in a critical condition in hospital last night after a head-on crash which closed the main road to the Highlands for more than eight hours.
An articulated lorry and a large 4×4 vehicle collided on a single-carriageway section of the A9 Inverness-Perth route south of Dalwhinnie.
The incident led to traffic tailbacks and motorists having to take 150-mile diversions.
Five men were travelling in the northbound BMW X5, which was badly damaged in the crash, just after midnight.
One man in his 30s suffered life-threatening injuries and another male with minor injuries were airlifted by an RAF Lossiemouth helicopter to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
A third man with minor injuries went to the same hospital by road ambulance.
A 20-year-old man was taken by road to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness with serious injuries, as was another man who suffered minor injuries. A police spokesman said last night that the 20-year-old was in a stable condition.
The driver of the southbound Mercedes lorry, who was in his 50s, was uninjured. The trunk road, which is the main gateway to the Highlands, was closed in both directions while emergency services were at the scene.
They included firefighters from Newtonmore, Grantown and Aviemore, as well as the emergency tender from Inverness.
A fire service spokeswoman said that none of the victims had to be cut from the wreckage by the four crews, who gave first aid, oxygen and trauma care. Police appealed last night for witnesses to contact them.
The A9 remained shut while investigators from the road policing unit examined the vehicles.
The diversion route meant a four-hour, 150-mile journey for those affected. The prolonged closure forced motorists to choose between queuing on either side of Dalwhinnie or taking the only diversion via the A85 Perth-Crianlarich road, the A82 Crianlarich-Spean Bridge and A86 Spean Bridge-Newtonmore.
Dozens of delivery vehicles, including those carrying the Press and Journal, were delayed in reaching the north.