Police have confirmed a man died after a ‘severed head’ was reportedly found in an Edinburgh street following a tragic smash involving a bus.
A 74-year-old was killed after being hit by a bus in the Scottish capital’s party district.
Officers rushed to the Cowgate area at 7.25pm on Saturday and closed a number of roads while an investigation was carried out.
The roads have since reopened but police are asking for any CCTV footage to help with enquiries.
Police said the ‘tragic incident’ was isolated and there is no risk to the wider public.
Police have asked for social media users to stop sharing graphic pictures and videos of the incident.
In one such video, seen by , a group of revellers in fancy-dress can be seen reacting to finding what appears to be a decapitated head on the road.
One resident told the Mail: ‘The Cowgate is usually mobbed on a Saturday night but the bars and pubs inside the police cordon were all closed by 8pm.
‘When some people heard what had been found on the road they thought it was a Halloween prank.
‘That all changed when they saw the large numbers of police and the forensic tents being put up.’
Sergeant Louise Birrell, of the Road Policing Unit in Edinburgh, said: ‘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.’
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 deceased’s family 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.’
‘Anyone with concerns or any information which could assist the investigation should contact police.’
An eyewitness at the scene told Edinburgh Live: ‘Police just appeared and started putting tape up. Whatever it is, it looks pretty serious.
‘There doesn’t look to be any cars inside the cordon anyway’.
A number of nightclubs and other venues in the vicinity of the incident were also closed for the evening, with Halloween-themed events put on hold with emergency services remaining at the scene.
Nearby dance school Bachata Blues was one of the impacted businesses and released a statement reading: ‘Following police instructions, all venues are going to be closed tonight due to a major incident.
‘All ways to enter Cowgate are cut off. Unfortunately, we have to cancel tonight’s event as Mash House will remain closed all night, following police instructions. We will be back soon and hope to reschedule our night as soon as possible!’
Another one of the evacuated bars was popular student haunt Bannerman’s which had a live band playing at the time.
A member of staff said: ‘The police asked us to close the pub on Saturday evening, as they did others, to allow them to carry out their investigation. All we were told was that someone was knocked down and killed.’
Another Cowgate venue – The Rowantree, owned by former Scotland rugby star Norrie Rowan – was hosting a wedding reception at the time of the accident though it’s believed guests were allowed to remain.
Meanwhile, a University of Edinburgh spokesman said: ‘A number of student residences were impacted by the incident in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area, with some students unable to exit or return to their accommodation.’