One man has died and another has been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a two-vehicle crash on the A96.
Emergency services headed to the scene on the Aberdeen to Inverness road at around 3.30pm.
The incident occurred half a mile west of Pitcaple and involved a white Honda Jazz and a red Renault Master van.
Police said the male driver of the Renault van died at the scene while the male driver of the Honda Jazz was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with serious injuries. No one else was involved.
Road Policing Officer Sergeant Rob Warnock said: “Our thoughts are with the families at this sad time.
“The road is likely to remain closed for sometime and we would urge people to seek alternative routes. If anyone has witnessed the collision I would ask that they contact police on 101.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We received a call at 3:22pm yesterday to attend a road traffic collision on the A96 north of Inverurie.
“We dispatched three ambulances to the scene.
“One male patient in his eighties was taken ARI.”
Fire crews also attended with two appliances coming from Inverurie and one from Huntly.
A fire spokesman said one person was cut free from their vehicle.
The road was closed for several hours while emergency services dealt with the incident. Local diversions were put in place until the road re-opened at around 8pm.