Police / Twenty five year old man dies after South Mainland crash
POLICE have confirmed that a 25-year-old man has died following a crash on the A970 in Shetland’s South Mainland in the early hours of the morning (Friday).
Emergency services were called around 1am to a collision involving a Toyota Hi Lux pick-up on A970 near Sandwick, and the 25-year-old male driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
The A970 remains closed south of the Hoswick junction with no local diversions possible.
Inspector Donnie MacKinnon from road policing said: “Enquiries are at a very early stage to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident and our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the man who died.
“We would appeal for any motorists who were on the A970 around the time of the collision, particularly with dash-cam footage, to please get in touch with any information which could be of significance to our enquiries.
“Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0155 of Friday, 12 April, 2024.”
Two fire appliances were sent out in the early hours of the morning but are no longer at the scene, fire control said.
With the affected road the only link to the southernmost parts of the Shetland mainland, the service six bus will only be travelling as far as Sandwick until further notice. The bus will turn at the Sandwick fire station.
Sumburgh Airport opened later than usual, with delays reported. Some flights have now begun to land.
A spokesperson for operator HIAL said: “We are aware of an ongoing incident which has resulted in the closure of the main road to the airport and is impacting airport operations. Please check with your airline before travelling today.”
Loganair said customers whose flights are affected will be contacted directly.
Customers are able to re-book on an alternative flight up to seven days from their original travel date.
The airline added: “We are planning to resume services, and we have standby aircraft and crews in place to help recover any disrupted services as soon as reasonably possible once the incident team has cleared the road.”
NHS Shetland said anyone unable to attend a planned appointment should contact the relevant department to reschedule.
“If we need to amend your appointment, we will contact you by telephone,” a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile the South Mainland Dance Club has cancelled a planned event in Sandwick on Saturday as a mark of respect.
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