Boy (11) dies in Durness quad bike crash
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An 11-year-old boy has died in a crash involving a quad bike near Durness.
It is believed he was travelling the half-mile between his parent's and grandparents’ homes at Sango Beag when the accident happened.
Emergency services were called to an area of land near the country's most north westerly mainland village just before 4.30pm on Tuesday.
Police confirmed an 11-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
A spokesman said: “We were made aware of a crash involving a quadbike on land near Durness around 4.20pm on Tuesday November 29.
“An 11-year-old male youth was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin are aware.”
Local councillor Hugh Morrison said: "Durness is a very sad place today. No words can express the depth of feeling over this tragedy.
"The family are very well known and liked in the area and their loss will be felt widely.
"There are just no adequate words to bring comfort to them over this.
"He was their only child and attended the local school. It appears a terrible tragic accident and the community is here to support the family as best we can."
Mr Morrison, who represents North, West and Central Sutherland on Highland Council - and also runs the Smoo Cave Hotel - said the community were "shocked".
Another local said it was unclear what had happened.
"It appears the young boy somehow came off and suffered injuries from which he sadly did not recover. There is a police investigation ongoing," they said.
It is the second quad death to hit the village community in six years.
A shepherd died after plunging 40ft from a cliff on his quad bike in 2016.
Father-of-three Sandy Robbins was tending sheep near Durness when the tragedy happened.
A passerby raised the alarm after spotting his bike on a beach below the area where he was working at Daill on Cape Wrath.
The Stornoway coastguard helicopter was sent to the scene to airlift him to hospital, but Mr Robbins could not be saved.
Mr Robbins, who was in his 60s, lived at Rhigolter, about nine miles from Durness.
