The body of a man has been recovered after a car went into water in Tillynaught, near Portsoy, police confirmed tonight.
The 4×4 was found under water in the Burn of Boyne, just off the A98 at around 5.30pm with the 23-year-old inside.
He was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by Coastguard helicopter where he was pronounced dead. His next of kin have been informed.
Inspector George Cordiner said: “We can sadly confirm that a man has died after his vehicle went into water in Tillynaught near Portsoy this afternoon.
“A significant search and rescue operation was launched in order to trace the man and I would like to thank members of the local community who assisted us and the emergency service personnel who attended.
“Our thoughts at this difficult time are with the family of the man who has died. There does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”
The major search – involving police, fire, ambulance and coastguard crews – was sparked when the emergency services received a call alerting them to the incident at around 4pm.
A helicopter and the Macduff lifeboat were also involved in the operation.