A pensioner has suffered serious injuries after falling from Stirling Castle.
The 72-year-old woman, who is believed to be English, was walking along a perimeter wall when she tripped on stairs and stumbled through a gap in railings.
She fell eight feet to Douglas Gardens below, where she sustained head injuries. She is also thought to have suffered a broken ankle and punctured lung.
Castle authorities launched an internal inquiry and the accident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive. Emergency services were called to the castle shortly after 3pm on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “She was walking along a walkway on the perimeter wall and she stumbled on a small set of stairs.
“There was nothing for her to hold on to and she went through a gap in the railing and fell eight feet to Douglas Gardens below. She suffered lacerations to her head and a suspected punctured lung and broken ankle.”
The woman was rushed to Forth Valley Royal and was still being treated at the hospital on Thursday.
The fire service spokeswoman added: “It appears to have been a freak accident. There are not many gaps in the railings for her to fall through.”
A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland could not confirm whether an internal investigation will be carried out.
“We have no further comment,” she added.