A teenager has died and another is fighting for his life after the pair reportedly fell off a motorbike, police have said.

A 17-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Woodchurch, Wirral.

Merseyside Police said they received reports at about 6.25pm on Saturday that two males had fallen off a motorbike at the junction of Hoole Road and Grass Wood Road.

An 18-year-old boy was also taken to hospital where he currently remains “in a critical condition”, the force said.

Police believe other men were present during the fatal incident as they launched a hunt for the motorbike, which was not found at the scene.

Inspector Ian Cowell, from the force’s roads policing team, said: “This is a tragic incident that has resulted in a teenager losing his life and our thoughts are with his family.

“Another young man has also sustained significant injuries and he is currently in a critical condition in hospital.

“We believe there were other males who were with them at the time of the collision and we are trying to locate them to see if they have any information.

“When officers arrived, the vehicle involved in the collision, which we believe was a motorbike, had been removed and part of our inquiries will be trying to locate this vehicle.”

A road closure has been put in place at the scene and increased patrols have been deployed in the area “to carry out initial inquiries and establish exactly what happened”, Merseyside Police said.

They also urged any potential witnesses to come forward.

“If you live in the area or were driving past at the time, please review your CCTV to see if you captured anything, even if it appears small or insignificant, because it could be vital to our investigation,” Mr Cowell added.

The victim’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.