Two British volunteers killed in Romanian minibus crash

Two British volunteers, Allison Condon, 61, and Rachael Harvey-Purkiss, 41, were killed in a multi-vehicle collision in Romania while on a dog rescue mission. The accident occurred around 11:00 AM on Thursday on the DN6 national road in Caraș-Severin county, near the Serbian border.

The women were working for the UK-based animal welfare charity Homeward Bound, collecting abandoned dogs to transport them to safety. Their UK-registered minibus reportedly veered into oncoming traffic, striking a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) head-on. The impact caused a chain reaction involving a second truck and a van, leaving the minibus trapped between the large vehicles.

In addition to the two women, eight dogs being transported in the minibus also died in the crash. A 60-year-old man was injured in the collision. Romanian police are currently investigating the circumstances of the accident. The charity Homeward Bound released a statement describing the victims as ‘two rare diamonds’ whose hearts were ‘full of nothing but love and care for animals’.