Police name man killed in Edinburgh bus incident

A large cordon was put in place in Edinburgh's Cowgate area

Police have named a man who died from catastrophic injuries after being hit by a bus in Edinburgh city centre.

Michael Leneghan, 74, was killed in the city’s busy Cowgate area on Saturday, in front of people on a street packed with late night bars and nightclubs.

Police Scotland urged the public not to repost images or videos from the scene out of respect for his family.

Mr Leneghan's family thanked the public and emergency services for their response and asked for privacy.

Mr Leneghan had been on foot at the time of the incident. Officers set up a cordon covering a large area of the street in the aftermath.

Police also put up sheets on the South Bridge to screen off the view of the Cowgate below.

Police closed the Cowgate for several hours after the crash on Saturday

Sgt Paul Ewing, of the Edinburgh road policing unit, said: “Our thoughts remain with Michael’s family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident.

“We have already 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."

It is understood several people witnessed the incident before bars, clubs and hotels within the cordon were closed early.

Police Scotland said its investigation was ongoing.

Images and videos from the scene were shared widely on social media, despite police warnings against viewing or reposting the content.

In a statement, Mr Leneghan's family said: “We wish to thank all the members of the public and emergency services involved.

"We would now ask for privacy at this time.”