Two people have died and another three were injured when an SUV lost control at a downtown intersection on Monday evening.

The crash occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m., at the intersection of Davie and Seymour Streets, Vancouver police said.

A white Lexus SUV was travelling north on Seymour when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The SUV struck a large tree before coming to a stop against a light post, which was embedded in the vehicle's windshield. Two people in the SUV died at the scene, police said.

The victims have not been publicly identified, but Const. Brian Montague said they were a man and woman.

Montague told media that three pedestrians were also injured in the incident, and have been taken to hospital. Two of the three men had serious injuries, he said. They were struck by the falling tree and flying debris.

Police are still investigating what happened, but Montague said that speed will be a "contributing factor." Anyone with more information is asked to contact officers at 604-717-3012.

Vancouver police are asking drivers to choose an alternate route as they investigate then clean up the scene.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Norma Reid