Man, 74, dies after being struck by a bus in horror Edinburgh Cowgate incident

A 74-year-old man has died after being struck by a single-decker bus in the Edinburgh Cowgate area on Saturday night.

Police Scotland officers were called to the incident at around 7.25pm last night and closed several surrounding roads as they began their investigations.

Sergeant Louise Birrell, Road Policing Unit, Edinburgh, said today: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died. Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident.

“Officers have spoken to a number of people who were in the area at the time and work is ongoing to check public and private CCTV footage. We are still keen to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken to police.

“If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch. Anyone with information is asked to call the police via 101. Please quote incident number 3395 of Saturday, 2 November 2024.”

Police issued a statement on social media addressing the incident and asking people not to share images which are circulating on social media.

Chief Inspector Trisha Clark, the local area commander, said: “We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the family of the deceased and those viewing them inadvertently. We would ask members of the public not to share them out of respect for his family and to report them to the relevant social media platform to prevent further circulation.

“There has been a lot of speculation, and I would like to reassure the local community that this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the wider public.

“This was a tragic incident. We are investigating a crash, and our road policing officers, assisted by local officers, are continuing to carry out enquiries.”

One commenter replied: “Absolutely heartbreaking” and another said, “So sad, sending love to the family very sad news”.

The area was closed off after the incident happened last night with hundreds forced to leave the many pubs, bars and clubs in the surrounding area.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a ‘severed head’ at the scene after pubs in the bustling Cowgate area were forced to close.

We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

For the latest news and breaking news visit: /news

Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/DailyExpress and @daily_express