One person has been killed and two others are in a critical condition after a crash between a bus and a 4×4 vehicle in North Ayrshire.
A major incident was declared following the incident involving a double-decker on the A78 near Ardrossan at about 2.15pm.
One person was pronounced dead, two were taken to hospital in Glasgow and nine others were either treated at the scene or taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock for observation.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police and emergency services responded to reports of a serious road traffic collision between a service bus and a 4×4 vehicle on the A78, north of Ardrossan, close to the Rowan Tree restaurant.
“One person has been pronounced dead at the scene and two people have been taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by air and by road ambulance.
“Nine others have been treated at the scene or transferred to Crosshouse Hospital for observations.”
The road was closed in both directions while emergency services, including an air ambulance, responded to the incident.
A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our crews are at the scene of a serious road collision on the A78.
“We received a call from the ambulance service at 2.15pm today and firefighters reached the incident three minutes later.
“There were six appliances at the scene and firefighters worked alongside police and paramedics to assist those involved.”
The bus had been travelling from Greenock in Inverclyde to Ayr.
A spokeswoman for the bus’s operator, Stagecoach, said: “We can confirm that one of our vehicles was involved in a serious incident this afternoon on the A78 near Ardrossan. The service involved was the Service 585 from Greenock to Ayr.
“Our first thoughts are with those affected by this incident. The safety of our passengers and staff is our highest priority and we are assisting the police fully with their investigation into the circumstances.”