One dead and two seriously injured in North Ayrshire bus crash

One man has died and two people have been seriously injured in a crash involving a bus and a car.

The Stagecoach bus and a Mercedes collided on the A78, near Hunterston roundabout at Fairlie, North Ayrshire, at around 10.10am.

The incident prompted a large response from the emergency services, who sent multiple vehicles, specialist teams and helicopters to the scene.

Police Scotland later confirmed that the 53-year-old man driving the Mercedes died at the scene. He was the only person in the car.

The male bus driver and a female passenger have been taken by helicopter to Glasgow’s new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where they are both are being treated for serious head injuries.

A further eight bus passengers – six women and two men – have been taken by ambulance to either Inverclyde Royal Hospital or Crosshouse Hospital for treatment, police confirmed.