TWO men were killed early yesterday after a high-speed car chase with police at Umbilo in Durban.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said police were patrolling at Umbilo just after midnight when they spotted a suspicious car.

"Police tried to stop it, but it sped off," Mdunge said. He said police radioed other police for a back-up.

"Metro police officers spotted the car in Francois Road and tried to stop it, but the driver did not stop," Mdunge said.

He said as the vehicle sped off, the driver lost control and slammed through the perimeter fence of a construction site. Both suspects died on the scene.

Mdunge said police were still trying to establish if the car had been stolen or hijacked and whether its occupants had been involved in any criminal activities.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeff Wicks said paramedics declared the men dead on the scene.

Meanwhile, a taxi driver died and two passengers were seriously injured, while the third sustained minor injuries when the taxi plunged into a trench on the R603 between Amanzimtoti and Pietermaritzburg yesterday.

Paramedics said they at they found a taxi and a trailer lying in a trench.

"Two abnormal trucks were also found about 50 metres from the scene," said Derrick Banks of ER24.

Banks said it was believed that the taxi was heading in an easterly direction and the two abnormal trucks were travelling in the opposite direction.

"If there were more commuters in the taxi at the time of the accident, there would have been far more serious or fatal injuries," he said.