Several people have been injured after a ship toppled over in a dry dock in Scotland.

Police, ambulances and the fire service were called to a report that a ship had become dislodged from its holding at Imperial Dock in Leith, Edinburgh at around 8.35am.

Pictures posted on social media show the research vessel Petrel leaning at a 45-degree angle. It was not known if anyone has been injured.

The Scottish Ambulance Service sent five ambulances, an air ambulance, three trauma teams and other resources to the scene, while the fire service also attended.

The 75m ship is owned by the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and was placed into long-term moorage in 2020 as a result of “operation challenges” during the Covid pandemic. It had previously been used for deep water searches for shipwrecks and war graves at sea.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Officers and emergency service colleagues are responding to an incident at Imperial Dock in Leith, Edinburgh, whereby a ship on dry dock has become dislodged from its holding.

“Police were called to attend at around 8.35am on Wednesday and officers remain at the scene. The public are asked to avoid the area to allow emergency service access.”