Two 14-year-old girls are in serious condition in hospital following a horrific crash on the A90 following a Tayside police chase.
Four teenage occupants of a Vauxhall Corsa were rushed to Ninewells in Dundee after the incident near St Madoes on Saturday afternoon.
The condition of the two girls, both believed to be from Dundee, are described as serious while two boys, aged 16 and 14, have been treated for minor injuries.
Police Scotland is now appealing for witnesses to the eight-mile pursuit along Perthshire roads and subsequent crash on the dual carriageway.
Four in hospital after car flees police in Perth and crashes on A90
Around 1.55pm, the orange Vauxhall Corsa failed to stop for officers when signalled on Edinburgh Road in Perth and was then pursued by police resulting in the horror smash on the A90.
Witnesses reported seeing the distinctive car speeding along the A912 in Bridge of Earn before it failed to stop for officers on Edinburgh Road.
“The A90 crash was the final chapter to a police chase which went through the village of Bridge of Earn,” said one local.
“The person in the passenger seat in the front was recording the chase on his mobile phone as they were laughing and shouting out of the vehicle.
“I was one of the pedestrians that was nearly hit in the village.”
Family members of one of the Dundee school girls described themselves as “devastated” and asked for prayers and understanding for the teenager.
They said: “Family are trying to come together with what’s happened to my niece.
“Pure negativity and people are so worried and heartbroken.”
The incident has been referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner with officers asking anyone with dashcam footage of the chase to come forward.
Sergeant Michelle Burns said: “Our enquiries into this incident are ongoing and we would urge anyone who may have seen the Vauxhall Corsa or the police vehicles in Perth, on the A912 through Bridge of Earn or on the A90 are asked to come forward.
“We would be particularly keen to speak to anyone with dashcam footage.
“Any information can be passed to police by calling 101, quoting incident 2040 of 20 February.”
The road reopened shortly after 11pm following an investigation at the scene.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old man will appear at Perth Sheriff Court on Monday in connection with a £75,000 drug haul following a crash on the A90 on Friday evening.
The collision involving a BMW 4 Series and a police vehicle took place on the A90 near Inchture at about 5.25pm.
‘£75k drug haul’ found in BMW that crashed with Tayside police car on A90
Both the police car and BMW crashed into a ditch after officers performed a hard stop on the suspect’s vehicle.
Nobody was seriously injured in the crash and officers from the Road Policing Unit are said to have been “acting on intelligence” during the incident.
The two incidents which occurred on the same stretch of road less that 24 hours apart are not believed to be linked.