Two British women on a dog rescue trip have been killed in a crash in Romania.
Rachael Harvey-Purkiss, from Essex, and a woman from Northamptonshire were in a collision which, according to reports, involved multiple vehicles near the Serbian border on Thursday.
The women were in the country having collected dogs on behalf of UK-based Homeward Bound, which helps street dogs in Turkey. It is understood a number of dogs also died in the crash.
In a Facebook post, Homeward Bound said it was devastated and described the women as "two beautiful rare diamonds".
"Their hearts were full of nothing but love and care for animals," the post added.
"Today we are grieving in a way I can't explain to you... please give us some time to try to process this awful tragedy."
The Foreign Office said it had not been approached for assistance, but its staff "stand ready to support British nationals abroad 24/7".
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