Four left seriously injured after crash

FOUR people were in a “serious condition” in hospital last night following a two-car head-on collision in north-east Scotland.

One of the drivers, a 29-year-old man, was airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where his condition was described as “serious but stable”.

The crash happened on the A97 Huntly to Aberchirder road in Aberdeenshire at around 6.30am yesterday.

The incident involved a white Ford Focus, driven by the 29-year-old man, and a blue Ford Transit van.

The 44-year-old driver of the van was taken by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, along with his two passengers, who were aged 16 and 38.

The road was closed for several hours while an investigation of the crash scene was carried out.

A spokeswoman for Grampian Fire and Rescue said crews used cutting equipment on both vehicles to release the injured occupants.

They were trapped inside the vehicles for around 40 minutes, and 16 firefighters were involved in the rescue.

Grampian Police have appealed to drivers who may have witnessed the crash to get in touch to help officers piece together the sequence of events.

Sergeant Rob Warnock, of the road policing department, said: “Our inquiries are at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind.

“I appeal for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward, irrespective of how insignificant they may think their information is.”