Police have advised motorists to seek alternative routes in and out of Inverness following a "serious" road crash that saw a lorry reduced to a charred shell.
Emergency services were called to the A9 at Dalmagarry, around 10 miles south of the Highland capital, shortly after 6am following reports of a collision involving a car and a lorry. Five fire crews were sent to the scene and spent more than nine hours tackling a blaze that broke out following the smash.
The flames were so ferocious that crews had to be swapped out to relieve those who had spent hours at the scene. Dramatic images from the scene show the twisted wreckage of a dark grey Fiat 500, its airbags deployed, and firefighters dampening down the remnants of a goods vehicle.
The road remains closed while police carry out investigative works, with a 70 mile diversion via the A96 in place. An emergency road maintenance crew has been dispatched to carry out resurfacing works following the blaze.
No details on the condition of those involved were available on Friday afternoon.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We received a call to attend a road traffic collision on the A9 at Dalmagarry, near Tomatin, at 6.09am on Friday May 26. We mobilised five appliances in the first instance and sent further resources later on as well to relieve crews.
"We used six breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets and one man jet on site and the stop message came in at 3.48pm. The Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland were on scene and we have passed control to Police Scotland, awaiting the conclusion of their investigation."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 6.05 am on Friday, 26 May, 2023 we received a report of crash involving a car and a lorry on the A9 near Dalmagarry. Emergency services are in attendance and a number of road closures are in place. The public are advised to avoid the area and use alternative routes."
Another statement issued by police added: "The road will remain closed to allow for resurfacing works to be carried out. This is expected to take several hours and the public is asked to avoid the area and use alternative routes."
Bus operators have warned passengers to expect delays on services travelling in and out of Inverness while the resurfacing works are carried out.
Road network operators Traffic Scotland tweeted: "The carriageway remains In both directions after an earlier collision. All traffic is diverted."
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