A husband and wife aged in their 70s have been hit and killed by a car in north Queensland as they walked home from a Christmas Eve church service.

Their 43-year-old daughter, who was walking with her 76-year-old father and 75-year-old mother, witnessed the accident, police told AAP on Tuesday.

The family were crossing Ross River Road in Townsville about 7.20pm on Monday when an SUV struck the couple.

Acting Inspector Stephen Batterham said the couple had come from Cairns to visit their daughter and she was picking them up from church when the accident happened.

Members of the public and emergency service first responders provided first aid, as well as CPR for nearly 30 minutes but despite these efforts they were unable to be revived, he told reporters on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old local man driving the car was treated for shock and taken to the Townsville Base Hospital.

Acting Insp Batterham said it was a tragic accident and his heart went out to the couple’s family and friends, as well as the driver and his family.

“Christmas is a time when families come together to celebrate and we can begin to understand the grief and loss that is being felt by the families of these people,” he said.

Acting Insp Batterham said mandatory testing of the driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, returned a negative result for drugs and alcohol.

The man’s vehicle was seized by police and the forensic crash unit is investigating, with witnesses continuing to assist police.

Acting Insp Batterham said although it was early in the investigation, there were no indications the man had broken any traffic laws and no charges had been laid.

-AAP