One person has died and two people are injured following a “serious” head-on crash on one of the north-east’s busiest roads.
A car and a service bus collided on the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road on the outskirts of Elgin yesterday morning.
Four ambulances, fire crews and police rushed to the scene near the junction with Morriston Road at about 9.30am, with a helicopter also reported in the area at the time.
Last night, police confirmed one person involved in the collision had died and the next of kin were to be informed.
Emergency services declined to comment on the seriousness of the two people’s injuries.
Officers kept the road closed into the evening for investigation work.
It is understood that the bus involved was a scheduled Stagecoach service running from Inverness to Aberdeen.
A Number 10 that left Inverness at about 8am was due into Elgin at about 9.30am.
A police spokeswoman said: “We were called to a serious road crash on the A96 in Elgin.
“We received reports of the two-vehicle collision at about 9.30am.
“We can confirm the serious road crash is a fatal as one person has died.”
Four fire units were sent to the scene as part of the emergency response but left after about 30 minutes.
An ambulance service spokeswoman said: “We received a call at 9.25am to attend a road traffic collision on the A96 near Elgin.
“Four ambulances and a paramedic response unit were deployed to the scene and three patients were taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital for further assessment.”
Stagecoach confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved in the collision and pledged to work with police as part of investigations to establish the circumstances that led to the accident.
Meanwhile, two men were taken to hospital following a separate crash on the A9 Perth to Inverness road near Aviemore.
Police, fire crews and ambulance staff attended the one-vehicle crash near Lynwilg at about 4.45am.
Cutting equipment was used to free the two trapped men, one in his 50s and the other in his 80s, before they were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for treatment.
Their injuries are not thought to be serious.
The A9 reopened again for traffic again shortly before 8am after a diversion was set up on the B9152 Aviemore to Kingussie road.
A female pedestrian was also left seriously injured yesterday after being hit by a car on the A9 near Alness.
Part of the route, which spans Inverness to Scrabster, was closed around 3.40pm as ambulance crews attended to treat the woman.
A police spokesman said the woman sustained “serious but not life-threatening injuries” before the route was fully reopened around 4.50pm.