Man, 74, dies in bus accident in Edinburgh, passer-by picks up severed head thinking it's Halloween prop

A severed head was reportedly found on a street in Edinburgh, Scotland on Nov. 2 by Halloween revellers who apparently mistook it as a prop.

The area was subsequently cordoned off by police.

After footage of the incident went viral online, Scotland police said the victim, a 74-year-old man, died following a bus collision on the Cowgate street in Edinburgh, Edinburgh News reported.

Severed head apparently found on street

A video shared on X showed a group of people in fancy dress walking past an object on the street.

One man picked it up before quickly recoiling and putting it back down.

Graphic images of the severed head and the man's decapitated body were also shared to social media.

Eyewitnesses told Edinburgh News that on Nov. 2 evening at around 7:45pm, police were seen cordoning off the street.

A pub-goer in the area told Scottish newspaper Daily Record that a member of the staff stopped her from leaving the pub as police were outside and a severed head had been found.

"I almost laughed because it's Halloween weekend and I thought it was a prank. We went to the bar where the staff said, no, it's real. They said that the police had ordered them to shut the pub."

74-year-old man died after being hit by bus: Police

Scotland police confirmed on Nov. 3 that a 74-year-old man died after he was hit by a single-deck bus in Cowgate, according to Edinburgh News.

Sergeant Louise Birrell from Edinburgh’s Road Policing Unit said extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

Top image from X & utuk/X