Police have asked the public to stop sharing “distressing” images and videos after a man died in Edinburgh on Saturday evening.
The 74-year-old man was struck by a single-decker bus in the Cowgate area of the city, when the streets were busy with weekend revellers.
The incident led to feverish speculation on social media and some initially believed that the incident was a Halloween prank.
Ch Insp Trisha Clark, the local area commander, urged members of the public not to share the distressing footage and report upsetting posts to the relevant social media platforms.
Clark 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.”
Police Scotland confirmed that they were called to the incident at about 7.25pm on Saturday. A number of roads in the area were closed to allow officers to carry out their investigation, which have since re-opened.
Sgt Louise Birrell of Edinburgh’s road policing unit added: “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.”