A teenager has died and another is in “a critical condition” after a motorbike crash in Merseyside, police have said.

A 17-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Woodchurch, Wirral. An 18-year-old boy was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Merseyside police said they received reports at approximately 6.25pm on Saturday that two men had came off a motorbike at the junction of Hoole Road and Grass Wood Road.

Police said that other men were present when the fatal incident occurred and they are still searching for the motorbike, which was missing at the scene.

Insp 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.”

The road where the incident took place has been closed and police have increased patrols in the area “to carry out initial inquiries and establish exactly what happened”, Merseyside police said.

The police urge 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,” Cowell added.

Police have informed the victim’s family and are providing them with support.