A Scotrail passenger train has derailed in the north-east of Scotland around 9:40am this morning.

The train came off the tracks on the Dundee-Aberdeen line, close to old Carmont rail station, near Stonehaven.

There are no reports of any injuries at this time but huge plumes of smoke could be seen coming from the train. 

Emergency services are currently at the scene.

At Holyrood, Nicola Sturgeon described the incident as "extremely serious" and told MSPs there were "early reports of serious injuries".

She said she would be taking part in a meeting of the Government's emergency resilience team later.

A British Transport Police spokesperson said:

"Officers are currently responding to an incident on the line in Stonehaven.

"We were called at 9:43am, and are on scene alongside paramedics and the fire brigade."

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted:

"This is an extremely serious incident. I’ve had an initial report from Network Rail and the emergency services and am being kept updated. All my thoughts are with those involved."

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