One person has died after a vehicle crashed into a house in New Plymouth.

Police received a report of a vehicle colliding with a house on Riversdale Drive, Merrilands, at about 9.15am.

Police confirmed this afternoon one person has died following the incident.

“Sadly, the single occupant of the vehicle died at the scene,” said a police spokesperson.

The resident of the address was transported to hospital with moderate injuries.

The road remains closed while the Serious Crash Unit examines the scene.

A speeding vehicle had overtaken a bus before crashing into a New Plymouth home, a witness told Stuff.

The woman, who didn’t want to provide her name, said she and her husband saw the car moments before the incident.

“I was walking the dogs with my husband, and there was a car speeding, going past us, and then ... saw it overtake a bus then heard a loud bang,” the woman said.

“We knew there’d been a crash so we made our way quickly up here to see what was going on and saw that the car had gone right underneath the house. So you couldn’t see any of the car at all.”

“Motorists are to avoid the area if possible and expect delays,” said a police spokesperson.

A Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said they’re “having difficulty accessing the occupants at the moment due to the position of the vehicle in the house”.

“The car is currently buried in the house,” they said.

The spokesperson said power lines have also been knocked down and confirmed the power is off in the area.

“We have contacted our urban search and rescue team for assistance.”

Hato Hone St John responded with three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and an operations manager.