Father and nine-year-old son die after car plunges off bridge into river

Low sun had reportedly created terrible driving conditions when the car went off the road near Hamilton

Google maps image taken from the road where the crash happened. A man and his 9-year-old son died after their car plunged off the bridge into the river (Google)

A father and his nine-year-old son have been killed when their car crashed off a bridge into the River Clyde near Hamilton, Scotland.

The incident happened in daylight at 11:15 on Saturday morning when the car came off the A725, plunging into the water.

Emergency service divers went into the river and recovered Christopher Groves, 38, and his son Connor, nine, but both died at the scene.

A police spokesperson said: “A search of the area and water took place, and a short time later two people were removed from a vehicle in the water.

“Sadly, one man, aged, 38 years and a boy aged nine years were pronounced dead at the scene.”

John McQuaid, a council worker who had been at the bridge shortly before the crash told the BBC that poor visibility caused by the sun being low had created terrible driving conditions.

“The sun was very low, it was really bright, you couldn't see,” he said.

“We were down here yesterday because the pathway was needing a repair, and we left to get more equipment from the depot.

“When we got back we weren't allowed to go back onto the footpath because it'd been taped off by police.”

Police said the family, who live in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, had been told about the accident.