AN elderly man has died after returning to Scotland from a coach trip to Wales.

Ian Younger, 85, from Lerwick, was among five passengers who had been taking part in the holiday trip who took ill with a flu virus.

Health chiefs on Shetland have confirmed that he died on Wednesday at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

The remaining patients are still being treated at the hospital.

Four passengers were admitted to the hospital on Monday with high temperatures and a cough. A fifth patient was admitted later in a less serious condition.

NHS Shetland public health director Sarah Taylor confirmed that two of the five patients had the flu virus.

The cause of illness in three of the patients has yet to be indentified, the health board said.

Mrs Taylor said: “As people will know, influenza (flu) can be a serious illness in older people and those with underlying health conditions, which is why we offer the annual flu vaccination to these groups.

“Being vaccinated doesn’t always guarantee that someone won’t become ill with flu, but it reduces the likelihood of them catching the strains covered by the vaccine, and of them being ill if they do catch it.”

Earlier, Mrs Taylor had said the other four patients were “stable and improving”, but she did not know when they would be discharged from hospital.