A huge air, sea and land search was mounted after a car plunged 200ft off cliffs and into the North Sea near one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks.
It was feared at least one person was inside the small vehicle when it hit the water off the coast of Caithness.
Police sealed-off the area and coastguard units went to the scene at Duncansby Head near John O’Groats.
Wick lifeboat and a Sumburgh-based search and rescue helicopter scoured the area and searches of the cliff top and rocks were also carried out by shore-based coastguard teams.
The first emergency crews to arrive at the beauty spot could see the top of the car below the surface of the sea before it drifted away and disappeared.
This evening, a police diving team was heading north faced with the task of trying to locate the car and recover the body of whoever was inside.
Officers were also checking to see if anyone in the area had been reported missing.
Shetland Coastguard, which co-ordinated the operation yesterday afternoon, also contacted shipping in the area to ask if crews had spotted anything which may help investigators piece-together what happened.
One man who arrived at the scene after the accident said it appeared the car had been driven off the road close to Duncansby Lighthouse.
From there it careered across rough grass for about a quarter-of-a-mile and is thought to have gathered speed before smashing through a fence along the top of the cliff.
A police spokesman said: “At 1.20pm this afternoon, Police Scotland and coastguards received a report of a vehicle in the water, off the shore at Duncansby Bay, John O’Groats.
“Inquiries are ongoing and there are no further details at this stage.”
A spokesman for Wick lifeboat said last night: “When our crew arrived on the scene they could see the car around two metres (6.5ft) under the water.
“They held back in the hope that the tide would drop, but a swell carried it away and out of sight.
“Our crew returned to base, but is expected to be called on to assist the divers on Thursday morning when the search resumes.”
Duncansby Head is literally the end of the road on mainland Britain.
A minor public road leads from John O’Groats to Duncansby Lighthouse, which makes Duncansby Head the farthest point by road from Land’s End in Cornwall.
The headland is the most north-easterly part of the Scottish mainland, jutting into the North Sea, with the Pentland Firth to its north and west and the Moray Firth to its south.
The Duncansby Head Site of Special Scientific Interest includes the stretch of coast south to Skirza Headand and the prominent sea stacks just off the coast.