Update 10am:
All northbound and southbound lanes are open on the Princes Highway but traffic is still heavy.
Update 7.25am
Two people are dead and another person has been arrested following a high-speed crash involving a stolen vehicle on the Princes Highway at St Peters, in Sydney's inner south, early on Thursday morning.
The crash occurred at the highway's intersection with Canal Road just after 4.30am, a NSW Police spokesman said.
The driver and passenger in the second vehicle, a blue sedan, died in the crash, the police spokesman said.
One of those people died at the scene, while the second person was initially listed as critically injured. Police confirmed that person died a short time later.
The police spokesman said the ute was not being pursued at the time of the crash, despite initial reports to the contrary.
The spokesman could not immediately say whether the ute had been pursued earlier in the morning before the pursuit was terminated.
The ute's wreckage came to rest across the intersection, its front severely damaged, while the blue sedan had mounted the curb. Police covered the rear of that vehicle with a white sheet.
The highway is expected to remain closed throughout the morning peak, as officers from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit examine the scene.
Police have urged motorists to avoid the highway, one of the major routes into the city from the south.
North-bound traffic is being diverted into Canal Road, Burrows Road, Huntley Street and Sydney Park Road to return to the Princes Highway.
Route 348 and 422 bus services are diverting off the Princes Highway via Railway Road, Unwins Bridge Road and Mary Street. Four stops are being missing on those routes, and passengers have been warned to expect significant delays.
More to come
Update 6.45am
Two people are dead and another person has been arrested following a high-speed crash on the Princes Highway at St Peters in Sydney's inner south early on Thursday morning.
The crash occurred at the highway's intersection with Canal Road just after 4.30am, a NSW Police spokesman said.
All city-bound lanes and one south-bound lane of the highway have been closed, and are expected to remain so for several hours.
Police are investigating whether one of the vehicles involved in the crash, a grey four-wheel-drive ute, had been stolen earlier in the night. The driver of that vehicle survived the crash, and is in police custody, a NSW Police spokesman said.
The driver and passenger in second vehicle, a blue sedan, have died, the police spokesman said. One of those people died at the scene, while the second person was initially listed as critically injured. Police confirmed that person died a short time later.
The police spokesman said the ute was not being pursued at the time of the crash, despite reports to the contrary.
The spokesman could not immediately say whether the ute had been pursued earlier in the morning before the pursuit was terminated.
The ute's wreckage came to rest across the intersection, its front severely damaged.
The highway is expected to remain closed for some time, as police investigate the cause of the crash.
Police have urged motorists to avoid the highway, one of the major routes into the city from the south.
North-bound traffic is being diverted into Canal Road, Burrows Road, Huntley Street and Sydney Park Road to return to the Princes Highway.
Police from the Newtown Local Area Command and firefighters are at the crash scene.
More to come
Earlier
City-bound traffic from the southern suburbs has been severely disrupted by a fatal accident on Princes Highway, St Peters, early Thursday morning.
One person was killed and another critically injured in the high-speed crash at the intersection of the highway and Canal Road just after 4.30am, a NSW Police spokesman said.
All city-bound lanes and one south-bound lane of the highway have been closed, and are expected to remain so for several hours.
It's understood police are investigating whether one of the vehicles involved in the crash had been stolen earlier in the night.
A NSW Police spokesman said the vehicle was not being pursued at the time of the crash, despite reports to the contrary.
The spokesman could not immediately say whether the car had been pursued earlier in the morning before the pursuit was terminated.
The highway is expected to remain closed for some time, as police investigate the cause of the crash.
Police have urged motorists to avoid the highway, one of the major routes into the city from the south.
North-bound traffic is being diverted into Canal Road, Burrows Road, Huntley Street and Sydney Park Road to return to the Princes Highway.
Police from the Newtown Local Area Command are at the crash scene.