Two people are dead after an ambulance crashed on Interstate 40 in Nashville Friday evening, Metro Nashville police say.

A private ambulance was travelling east on I-40 into Nashville when the driver lost control and crashed near Charlotte Pike, MNPD Captain Randy Hickerson confirmed.

Both the patient and a medic riding in the back of the vehicle were ejected from the ambulance in the wreck, MNPD reported.

They were each transported in critical condition to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where both later died, Hickerson confirmed.

The ambulance was owned by Medical Center EMS, a Madison County-based service owned by West Tennessee Healthcare.

West Tennessee Healthcare said the ambulance staff had been transporting a patient from the Emergency Department at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital to an unidentified Nashville hospital.

“We do not have any details at this time of confirmed injuries or the cause of the accident, but we are still awaiting further information from authorities,” Amy Garner, Chief Communications Officer for West Tennessee Healthcare, said in an emailed statement.

The eastbound lanes of I-40 between Old Hickory Boulevard and Charlotte Pike were shut down for several hours Friday evening. The crash occurred at approximately 7:15 p.m.

MNPD's Fatal Crash team is investigating the wreck.

The area is expected to be affected until at least midnight, TDOT reported.

This story is ongoing, check back for updates.

Reach Mariah Timms at mtimms@tennessean.com or 615-259-8344 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.