A service is taking place in Westminster Abbey today on the 25th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing.

All 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on December 21, 1988.

The service at Westminster Abbey today is being attended by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend Lorna Hood.

The service will remember victims of the tragedy and their families, and begins at 6.45pm.

Mrs Hood said she was honoured to be taking part in the service.

"It is difficult to believe that 25-years have passed since that awful night when so many innocent lives were lost and a town in Scotland would be forever associated with one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history," she said.

"I remember so clearly the devastation of the town and the grief and sorrow of relatives who journeyed across the Atlantic to see the spot where their loved ones died.

"For weeks after, rescue workers, police, members of the forces and civilians worked tirelessly to recover as much evidence as possible from the wreckage and to this day live with difficult memories of that time.

"I am honoured to represent the Church of Scotland and take part in this memorial service at Westminster Abbey. I know that for many there are unanswered questions and a continuing search for truth but this is a time to remember the 270 innocent lives cut short and the families here in Scotland and the USA living with that loss.

"It is also a time for us to pray for a world where we can live together in peace, travelling to different parts of our world in confidence and safety, appreciating our differences but rejoicing in all that unites as human beings."