Woman Killed After Lorry Hits Ayrshire Flats

A 55-year-old woman has died after a lorry ploughed into a block of flats.

She became trapped along with a 60-year-old man inside the building when the vehicle struck in the town of Fairlie, in North Ayrshire, at lunchtime on Thursday.

It is thought she was watching television with her husband at the time.

One neighbour, David Paton, told Sky News he heard a "huge bang" when the lorry hit.

Fire crews along with police and paramedics launched a major rescue effort for the pair, who lived inside the ground floor flat of the two-up, two-down property.

The man and the 54-year-old driver of the empty coal lorry suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital.

Another man who was also in the building at the time of the crash, just before 2pm, escaped unhurt.

Superindendent Neil Kerr, of Strathclyde Police, described the unnamed woman's death as "tragic" and said it was unclear what caused the crash.

One witness to the scene, Steve Graham, said the lorry had been "deeply embedded" into the corner of the Victorian sandstone building.

Speaking before news of the woman's death emerged, he said there had been a number of "near misses" on the "very narrow road".

"It is a coal lorry which for whatever reason has lost control and has ploughed into the house across the road.

"This was an accident waiting to happen."

The ground floor of the building has been seriously damaged and has been deemed structurally unsound.

Mr Graham, of Fairlie Community Council, said: "We in the community council have been complaining about the weight of traffic coming through the A78 which it's not built for. It would not meet current standards for a trunk road."

The road was closed in both directions after the crash.