A fiery four-vehicle crash south of Maryborough left two people dead and closed the Bruce Highway in both directions on Monday afternoon.
Queensland Police Service said the crash that involved at least four vehicles happened at 3.15pm about 6 kilometres north of Tiaro.
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A Queensland Fire Services spokeswoman said at least two cars were on fire and the four crews on scene were still working to extinguish the cars.
Paramedics assessed eight patients, and there were also two helicopters on scene.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed three patients had been airlifted from the crash scene.
One helicopter took a 56-year-old woman with abdominal injuries and a teenage male with abdominal and pelvis injuries to the Royal Brisbane Hospital*.
A man in his 20s with two broken legs was taken by the second helicopter to the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
A man in his 50s with chest and hip injuries was taken by road to Hervey Bay Hospital.
A further four patients, two adults and two children, were assessed by paramedics.
The Bruce Highway was expected to remain closed for some time.
Diversions were in place via Mungar Road or Maryborough-Cooloola Road.
Four car accident on the Bruce Hwy south of Maryborough. Major delays. Avoid the area if you can. #qldtraffic pic.twitter.com/tTAeknd2CA
— RACQ (@RACQOfficial) April 17, 2017
1pm update
Traffic delays have quickly become "pretty horrid", as as the main bulk of holidaymakers return from their Easter long weekend getaway and head back towards Brisbane from the Gold and Sunshine coasts.
Congestion was worse for drivers heading south from the Sunshine Coast than for those coming up from the Gold Coast on Monday afternoon.
Australian Traffic Network spokesman Adam Smith said traffic delays on the Bruce Highway stretched about 40 kilometres from Tanawha to Caboolture.
Steve Irwin Way through Landsborough was also heavy, along with the Sunshine Motorway and Caloundra Road heading onto the Bruce Highway.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Motorway northbound saw northbound congestion stretching 17 kilometres from Tweed Heads through to Reedy Creek.
A nasty crash near Gympie created further problems on the Bruce Highway, with the seven-car crash closing the road.
Police said just before 12.30pm a car towing a boat jackknifed near Keefton Road in Glanmire before six cars behind crashed into it. Diversions were in place and there were no reported injuries.
TRAFFIC: Congestion on Bruce Hwy southbound near Glanmire after a six-vehicle crash. Road is blocked, motorists should avoid area. #9News pic.twitter.com/FZWbkBXRgZ
— Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) April 17, 2017
11am update
Traffic delays are starting to build on south-east Queensland's major roads as the main bulk of holidaymakers starts heading back towards Brisbane.
Australian Traffic Network spokesman Chris Hull said the Pacific Motorway from Tugun to Elanora on the Gold Coast was starting to become congested.
Meanwhile, the Bruce Highway was slow from Tanawha to Bells Creek on the Sunshine Coast and further south between Beerburrum and Caboolture.
It comes after drivers heading south from the Sunshine Coast hit lengthy delays on Sunday evening.
The Bruce Highway southbound from Caloundra to Burpengary was described by the Australian Traffic Network as "pretty solid", with queues stretching back about 10 kilometres.
"They're packed in pretty tight for the southbound run and crawling the whole way," ATN spokeswoman Amelia Oberhardt said.
Queensland police gave motorists a mixed progressive report card for the Easter road safety campaign.
There hadn't been any fatalities on the roads by Sunday afternoon and overall the number of infringements and crashes, as of midnight on Saturday, was lower than last year's.
However, police said there were no excuses for the consistent high numbers of drivers disregarding the road rules during the Easter break.
- with AAP
*An earlier version of this story said it was the Prince Charles Hospital.