A MAN who died after being struck by a bus in Edinburgh has been named by police.

A 74-year-old man was hit by a single-decker bus on Saturday in the Cowgate area of the capital city at around 7.30pm, and Police Scotland urged people not to share “distressing” videos of the aftermath.

Members of the public were warned by police not to share any images or videos of the aftermath on social media as it is “causing distress to the deceased's family” and to those “viewing them inadvertently”.

Some members of the public did not believe the accident was real and thought it was part of Halloween. It was widely reportedly that videos circulating on social media showed graphic images of individuals handling what appeared to be a human head after the incident. 

The man has now been named as Michael Leneghan, from the city.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Cowgate sealed off after 'pedestrian struck by vehicle'

His family has released a statement, which said: “We wish to thank all the members of the public and emergency services involved. We would now ask for privacy at this time.”

Michael Leneghan was on foot and the incident also involved a single decker bus.

Sergeant Paul Ewing, of the Road Policing Unit in Edinburgh, said: “Our thoughts remain with Michael’s family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident.

“Our enquiries remain ongoing. 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.

“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.”