Man dies after car swept away

Tragedy: Vehicle dragged from road

A man died after his car was dragged from the road and swept away in a fastflowing river during flooding which hit the north-east yesterday.

The 23-year-old had been crossing a bridge on the outskirts of Portsoy when his 4x4 vehicle plunged into the raging torrents at about 4pm.

The car disappeared from view beneath the murky water, and a large-scale search for the man was immediately launched along the Burn of Boyne.

The car, with the man’s body inside, was recovered from the swollen burn near Tillynaught at 5.30pm.

Inspector George Cordiner last night said the man had been pronounced dead after being airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

He added: “We can sadly confirm that a man has died after his vehicle went into water in Tillynaught, near Portsoy.

“A significant search and rescue operation was launched in order to trace the man and I would like to thank members of the local community who assisted the emergency service personnel who attended.

“Our thoughts at this difficult time are with the family of the man who has died.

“There does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in due course.”

It is understood that the car was struggling to cross surface water caused by hours of heavy rainfall before plummeting into the river.

Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 4pm, when the alarm was raised.

The fire service sent 27 firefighters from stations at Elgin, Macduff, Cullen and Inverness as well as two boats.

A lifeboat was launched from Macduff at 4.45pm to scour the coastline in case the car had been washed out to sea.

Coastguard teams surveyed the riverbank on foot, while a helicopter hovered above for signs of the vehicle.

The helicopter was later used to transport the man to hospital.

One man who lives at the spot said the bridge involved in the accident was a notorious hazard during heavy rain.

He said: “Water comes hurling down from the fields in severe rain, making a lot of the roads around here unsafe.

“Most of us around here would not have attempted crossing the bridge when it is flooded.

“We know how deep the water in the burn can get, and how powerfully it can flow.”

Police said that the man’s next of kin have been informed of his death.

The rescue operation began shortly after 4pm yesterday.