A rail watchdog has launched an investigation into the death of the first person killed by an Edinburgh tram.

Carlos Correa Palacio, 53, was pronounced dead after being struck near Saughton tram stop on September 11, this year.

Mr Palacio was fatally injured by the outbound tram travelling from Edinburgh city centre towards Edinburgh Airport at the footpath crossing between Stenhouse Drive and Saughton Mains Street.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has now started its own inquiry.

A spokesman said: "Our investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events which led to the accident and consider any relevant operation or underlying management factors.

"Our investigation is independent of any investigation by Edinburgh Tram, the Office of Rail and Road, Police Scotland, or the procurator fiscal."

The RAIB will publish its findings, including any safety recommendations, at the conclusion of the investigation.

Mr Palacio is the first pedestrian to be killed by an Edinburgh tram.

However, in May 2017, a Malaysian medical student died after her bike wheel got stuck in tram tracks on Princes Street.

Zhi Min Soh, 23, an Edinburgh University student originally from Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a minibus after falling from the bike.

In June, a tram and shuttle bus collided near Edinburgh Airport.

The last time anyone was killed in an accident directly involving a Scottish tram was in 1959.

A Glasgow Corporation Tramways tram collided with a lorry and caught fire.

The tram driver and two passengers were killed and 30 people were injured.