Friends watch in horror as two die inside fiery car in the Northern Territory

The bodies of the man and woman were burned beyond recognition. DNA and dental records will be required to formally identify them. Photo/News Corp Australia

A Sunday road trip to a popular Northern Territory national park has ended in horror, with tourists unable to save two friends trapped in the wreckage of a car that exploded in flames after crashing.

The man and the woman were part of a three car convoy travelling from the Litchfield National Park on Sunday afternoon.

Police said the driver lost control on a bend and slammed their car into a tree, which tore it in half.

Acting Superintendent Matt Parsons said it appeared the driver was travelling about 30m/h above the 80km/h speed limit.

The pair, who were both sitting in the front of the car, were trapped in the wreckage as it caught fire, sparking a bushfire.

They perished inside as their horrified friends tried desperately to save them.

Two back seat passengers, aged 21 and 22, managed to escape the wreckage before the flames took hold.

St John Ambulance NT spokesman Craig Garraway said the witnesses all suffered shock and all were taken to hospital for counselling.

"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," Garraway said.

The remote area added to the group's trauma, as they tried to flag down passing cars who had phone reception.

The black spot in the remote park south of Darwin also contributed to chaotic scenes for emergency services, according to police.

The two other cars in the convoy also veered off the road and crashed into bushland.

Five passengers aged between 20 and 27 were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital around 150km away to be treated for minor injuries and shock.

The crash scene remained under investigation on Monday. Photo/News Corp Australia

A 35-year-old man who suffered head injuries had to be flown to hospital along with one other patient, Garraway said.

Supt Parsons said the two burnt bodies of the two people who died were yet to be formally identified.

"It was a horrific scene," he said.

"Due to the intense fire we've obviously called in our disaster identification experts ... that'll either be done by teeth or DNA."

A crime scene remains in place a day later, with roads closed and traffic diverted.

The explosion caused a blaze in the remote national park that firefighters were battling up until 9pm on Sunday night.