A man has died after being hit by a lorry on the outskirts of an Aberdeenshire village.
The accident happened on the B9005 Methlick to Fyvie road, where repairs are currently being carried out following the stormy weather earlier this month.
It was unclear last night, however, if the man had been part of the Aberdeenshire Council team working at the site.
Police and ambulance crews were called to the scene, near Gight, at about 1.50pm, but could not save the man.
Officers closed off the road, and last night collision investigators could be seen examining a lorry and JCB digger parked within the cordon.
Speaking at the accident site Inspector Ewan Innes, of the roads policing unit, said: “At 1.50pm, there was a collision between a lorry and a male pedestrian in his 50s, as a result of which the male has died at the scene.
“The driver was not injured.”
Aberdeenshire Council workers could be seen making phone calls from the roadside, and appeared obviously upset.
But Insp Innes could not confirm if the man who died had been working at the spot of the tragedy.
“I cannot confirm that just now,” he said.
“There is work ongoing on the road, but we do not know what he was doing at this moment in time.”
A farmer who lives near the accident site said work had been going on to repair the damage caused after the River Ythan burst its banks earlier this month.
“I think the council workers were carrying out flood repair work,” she said. “It’s been bad for a while, but after the storms it got worse. From the edge of the road there was a foot drop.”
He said the road was notoriously fast, as it was “straight and downhill” and that there had been accidents at the spot in the past.
Fyvie councillor Anne Robertson said the entire community would be in mourning.
“The impact on the person’s family and also on the driver of the vehicle will be immeasurable really,” she added.
“That will stay with them. It’s a very difficult time for everyone.
“It always hits hard when it happens around a small community because everyone knows each other. It’s always difficult, anyway, but it’s more acute sometimes when it’s a smaller community that’s affected by these tragic incidents.
“Regardless of how it was caused, everyone’s thoughts will be turning towards the family. It’s very difficult to imagine how people will be feeling – all I can say is that my thoughts are very much with them at this time.”
A one-mile stretch of road was closed to vehicles in the immediate aftermath of the collision, with officers diverting traffic.
Collision investigators could be seen scanning the scene with their radar equipment, with the lorry and JCB in the foreground. A road roller also remained parked within the cordon.
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said he could not comment until police had finished their inquiries.