Two people have been killed in a crash at a rural intersection in northeast Queensland.

A man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s both died at the intersection of the Kennedy Hwy and Malanda Atherton Rd in Atherton, about 90 minutes southwest of Cairns, on Thursday.

The elderly pair had been travelling in a Toyota Landcruiser when they collided with a Subaru towing a caravan at about 11.45pm.

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Emergency services treated the elderly man and woman at the scene, but were unable to save them.

It is understood the occupants of the Subaru were unharmed.

Motorists familiar with the intersection commented on its danger in a local Facebook community group after the incident.

“That can be a busy intersection and oncoming traffic approaches fast. Afternoon sun can also be a hazard. I’m heartbroken,” one person wrote.

“Perhaps it’s time for some traffic lights. There are too many accidents happening. So many spots that would benefit from traffic lights ... I myself was in a three-car pile-up in Atherton also ... traffic lights could have prevented that,” another wrote.

“They need to put in an extra two lanes ... so people can pull out of there and just keep going ... one should start at the Mobil and come down so you turn straight into (Atherton) Malanda Rd, so easy — then we won’t have this stuff happening. Poor people. RIP, so sad,” another person wrote.