The collision involved three vehicles and took place in the city-bound lanes of the Legacy Way tunnel in Mount Coot-Tha about 3.10pm on Wednesday.

Police said a black Audi S3 travelling north crashed into a silver sedan, which then hit a small truck.

The Audi driver, in his 50s, died at the scene along with a woman in her 20s who was a passenger in the sedan.

The female sedan driver was undergoing surgery and in a critical condition, Inspector Steve Crabbe told reporters on Wednesday night.

A fourth person in a white van was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash and appealed for information about the Audi S3 that was believed to have been travelling northbound through the tunnel.

“The scene was over several hundred metres and involving three vehicles and obviously extensive traffic delays were involved,” Insp Crabbe said.

Queensland Ambulance Service medical director Stephen Rashford said several ambulances were sent to the scene along with fire rescue and police.

“Unfortunately two people were deceased at the scene with a third patient suffering critical injuries and requiring resuscitation before being transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital,” he said.

“We’d ask everyone to be very careful on the roads tonight as they travel home.”

All lanes of the tunnel were closed to motorists for more than two hours after the crash.