One person has died and 11 others injured after a crash between a bus and 4x4.

Paramedics are dealing with the casualties after the crash between the double-decker Stagecoach bus and the vehicle on the A78 near Ardrossan. One person died at the scene.

The bus, the 585 service from Ayr to Greenock, and 4x4 collided at 2pm on Monday, leading to the ambulance service declaring a major incident.

Police said the fatally injured person was on board the bus. The driver of the 4x4 is one of the injured parties.

Some of the injured are in a critical condition, according to emergency crews at the scene.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "At around 2.15pm on Monday, police and emergency services responded to reports of a serious road traffic collision between a service bus and a 4x4 vehicle on the A78, north of Ardrossan, close to the Rowan Tree Restaurant.

"There have been 12 people injured as a result of this incident. One person has been pronounced dead at the scene and two people have been taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by air and by road ambulance.

"Nine others have been treated at the scene or transferred to Crosshouse Hospital for observations."

The A78 remains closed whilst police and emergency continue to respond to the incident. Local diversions are in place via West Kilbride and Dalry. No further information is available currently

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said six crews were sent to the scene and at least one person had to be cut free from the wreckage. An air ambulance also attended.

The injured were taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

A spokesman said: "The Scottish Ambulance Service received a call after 2pm of an RTC on the A78.

"Local ambulance attended and declared a major incident and we are currently dealing with multiple casualties."

An air ambulance and the SAS special operations response team have been called in.

One witness posted on Facebook: "[I am] just back from trying to get to Saltcoats. The crash is horrendous, people getting took off bus, couldn't see the car, but bus front is ripped apart.

"We were right behind it but did not see it happen. The cars in front of us just went past, we stopped the cars going any further."