Speed was a likely factor in the death of a young international student and a colleague who became trapped in a car that crashed and erupted in flames which sparked a bushfire at a popular tourist spot in a Northern Territory national park.
Charles Darwin University student Irfan Munna, and Risa Caramay, both aged in their 20s, were killed in the horrific three-car pile up at Litchfield National Park on Sunday.
The man from Bangladesh and the Filipina woman led a convoy of three cars carrying seven other CDU international students that was travelling near Tolmer Falls to celebrate his birthday and the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when they crashed around 4pm, the NT News reports.
While driving up to 30km over the 80km/h speed limit, their car lost control on a bend, hit a tree and burst into flames, police said.
Irfan Munna was studying IT and engineering at Charles Darwin University. (SUPPLIED) Source: Supplied
"The vehicle has then split into two," Acting Superintendent Matt Parsons said.
Two back seat passengers, aged 21 and 22, escaped the inferno, but Mr Munna and Ms Caramay were trapped and burnt to death.
The explosion caused a blaze in the remote national park that firefighters were battling up until 9pm on Sunday night.
Authorities have described chaotic scenes for emergency services and traumatised witnesses trying to get help with no phone reception.
The two other cars in the convoy also veered off the road and crashed into bushland, and two people had to be airlifted to hospital, Craig Garraway from St John Ambulance NT said.
Young mother Risa Caramy was also killed in the three-car pile up. (SUPPLIED) Source: Supplied
Five passengers aged between 20 and 27 were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital around 150km away to be treated for minor injuries and shock.
"They saw it all happen and tried to save their friends and unfortunately couldn't, so you can imagine that they required a fair bit of emotional support," Mr Garraway said.
"It was a horrific scene."
Police worked to retrieve the bodies from the burnt-out car wreck on Monday and said it could take weeks to identify them as experts examine teeth and seek DNA samples from family members overseas.
