Police in Edinburgh have confirmed that an elderly man died in a road traffic incident following reports that a “severed head” was found in the city centre on Saturday evening.
Officers reportedly swooped on the Cowgate area after a 74-year-old pedestrian was struck by a bus.
Gruesome images of the head have been shared on Facebook, though these have not been verified by the media.
A 999 call was made from Cowgate, a popular nightlife area, shortly after 8pm on Saturday night, leading to road closures on Blair Street, Guthrie Street and Candlemaker Road.
An eyewitness told Edinburgh Live: "We were in Bannermans having a drink and went to leave but a member of the staff stopped us.
“He said police were outside and a severed head had been found in the Cowgate. I almost laughed because it's Halloween weekend and I thought it was a prank. We went to the bar where the staff said, no, it's real.”
She added: "I saw three police cars and five police officers and a small silver tent. The police were taping off the area. We are in another pub now. The whole area is sealed off. It just seems so surreal."
As of 10am on Sunday, bus services had resumed through the area.
A video seen by the Standard shows a man picking up a head before placing it back down, while another person jumps over it.
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.”
