Tributes paid after fatal minibus crash in the Borders

One person has died and 23 people were injured after the vehicle overturned near Lauder on Saturday.

Published 30th Dec 2018

A memorial is to be held at Newtongrange Church Hall for all those involved in a minibus crash in the Scottish Borders.

The local community has been left in shock after the vehicle overturned, killing one person and injuring 23 others, as it made it's way from the Midlothian village to Kelso.

It's thought they were travelling to the horse racing at Kelso.

Those injured are being treated at Borders General Hospital, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.

Tributes have been paid on Facebook to all those involved.

These messages were posted on the Whats-On-In-Newtongrange page.

Prayers for those involved will be said at Newtongrange Church Hall on Sunday evening between 6pm and 9pm.

The Rev Malcolm Muir said: ''There is a solemnity across the village at the moment. Yesterday a lot of people were in shock.

Tonight is about giving folk some space to share and come together and to talk about what has happened.

Newtongrange is a tight-knit community though it is also very inclusive of people who have moved to the area, and it has a very strong sense of identity.''

Police said the crash was declared a major incident with the Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, NHS Scotland and Scottish Borders Council involved.

Chief Inspector Steven Duncan said: ''We're providing ongoing support to the family of the man who tragically lost his life, along with those who have been injured and their families.

Our Road Policing Unit, together with partners, are currently working to establish the full circumstances surrounding this.

We'd ask anyone who may be concerned that a loved one has been affected, or anyone who could help with our investigation, to get in touch immediately via 101 and quote incident number 1369 of 29th December.''

A Scottish Ambulance Service Spokesman said: ''We received a call to attend a road traffic accident involving a single vehicle minibus this morning on the A6089 near Gordon.

Due to the number of passengers requiring assistance, we dispatched a large number of resources to the scene including our air ambulance, trauma and Special Operations Response Teams (SORT).

Sadly, there was one male fatality and our thoughts go out to his family for their tragic loss.

Twenty three other patients were treated by our crews and transported to Borders General Hospital, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow for further treatment and care.''

Police said the A6089 reopened around 9pm with the crashed bus removed from the scene.