Pennsylvania State Police said two people were killed shortly before 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon in a crash on the northbound lanes of Route 309 between East Valley Green Road and Camp Hill Road at the eastern edge of Whitemarsh Township.

Route 309 was closed northbound just before the Paper Mill Road interchange from shortly after the crash until about 6:30 p.m.

Breaking News Network, a service that monitors emergency radio transmissions, reported to Lansdale Patch that the victims were pushing a disabled vehicle on the roadway when they were struck from behind by another vehicle. It was not immediately clear whether the disabled vehicle was in the middle of the roadway or on the shoulder. WCAU-TV cited an unidentified police source who reportedly said the two people were trying to push a disabled sedan off the roadway when they were struck by a SUV.

A maroon or burgundy-colored SUV was visible at the scene in one of the middle lanes of the roadway. Investigators were seen taking photographs of the vehicle from several angles, as well as photos of its interior. A stretcher could be seen in front of the vehicle.

After initially allowing access to the area, state police formed a human barricade to prevent a Patch reporter from taking additional photographs of the accident scene, then declared the scene "closed" and escorted the reporter off the roadway.

Montgomery County Public Safety radio reports indicated severe backups near the Paper Mill Road and Route 73 interchanges with Route 309.

Whitemarsh Township Police spokesperson Raymond Bowman told Patch his department had no information about any traffic delays or backups and referred all inquiries to the state police.

Update 2:35 p.m. Route 309 northbound is being closed just before Paper Mill Road.

Update 2:31 p.m. Pennsylvania State Police have confirmed that two people are dead following the crash. Police are turning away traffic from the Route 309 interchanges at Route 73 and Paper Mill Road. Traffic is said to be near a complete standstill in both areas.

Update 2:14 p.m. Breaking News Network, a service that monitors emergency radio broadcasts, reports that two people were pushing a disabled vehicle on Route 309 when they were struck from behind by another vehicle.

A representative from the Montgomery County Coroner's office is said to be en route to the scene. 

Update 2:08 p.m. County public safety radio reports indicate that local police are working with Pennsylvania State Police to determine precisely where to close the road. The road is expected to be closed for at least two hours while a crash investigation takes place. There is a very large backup of cars in both directions on Skippack Pike (PA 73) in the vicinity of Route 309. Avoid the area.

Initial story below

Two people are dead following an afternoon crash in the northbound lanes of Route 309, according to Montgomery County public safety radio reports.

The crash occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Route 309 near mile marker 4.

A reporter is en route to the scene. We'll update this story with additional details when they are available.