Six youths from two villages in Hansi district, including two brothers, were burnt alive after the car they were travelling in rammed into an electricity pole and caught fire on the Panipat-Khatima National Highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district last night.The tragedy has plunged five families in Rakhigarhi and neighbouring Moth Rangran villages into grief. The accident occurred around 25 km from Muzaffarnagar. The deceased have been identified as Sahil (20), Aman (21), Ajay (21), Ankit (21), another Ankit (21), and Rahul (23). Four of them — Sahil, Rahul and the two youths named Ankit — belonged to Rakhigarhi, while Aman and Ajay were residents of Moth Rangran. Ankit and Rahul were real brothers. Aman, Ajay and one of the Ankits were students, while the other three were self-employed.The six friends had set out for Haridwar around midnight to take a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya. Their families were unaware of the trip, as the youths had left their homes after celebrating Diwali late into the night.The news of their deaths came as a shock to the two villages on Jattvibeday morning. A large number of villagers gathered at the victims’ homes to mourn the deaths and console the bereaved families. Some family members had travelled to Uttar Pradesh to bring back the bodies, which were awaiting post-mortem examination at a government hospital in Muzaffarnagar.Som Kumar, father of Sahil, said his son was driving the Hyundai Aura, which belonged to Praveen. He had borrowed the car from him two days before the accident.Villagers said the six were close friends and had left for Haridwar after Diwali celebrations. According to sources, the car caught fire immediately after crashing into the electricity pole, with flames rapidly engulfing the vehicle.Police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information from commuters. They managed to douse the fire after some time. However, all six occupants were charred beyond recognition, with only skeletal remains left.