A man and woman have died after a road crash in south Dublin in the early hours of this morning.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has opened an investigation after it emerged gardaí had interacted with the vehicle in the minutes before it crashed.

It is understood the vehicle was initially seen by gardaí shortly after 1am at traffic lights in the Butterfield Avenue area, near Rathfranham Shopping Centre.

When the gardaí became aware of the vehicle, it was driven away at speed.

Gardaí in a second patrol car later saw the same vehicle and followed, before coming on the crash site at 1.30am.

The vehicle is believed to have hit a lampost on Butterfield Avenue, with the passenger side of the vehicle badly damaged.

Part of the vehicle's boot landed metres away in a nearby garden of a house, while another part of the vehicle landed at least 18 metres away in another garden, knocking off part of the wall.

Butterfield Avenue remained closed until 7.10am as garda forensic teams examined the scene.

Gardaí in Tallaght are investigating the incident.

In a statement, GSOC said the incident was referred to it because gardaí had indicated for the vehicle to pull over, but it failed to stop.

One local resident, who lives in the house where part of the vehicle's boot was found, said he was shocked to hear of the crash outside his home.

A second neighbour said he heard a loud bang at 1.30am when the crash occurred.

Gardaí are appealing for anyone who travelled on the road at the time of the collision, and who may have dash cam footage, to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01-6666000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.