A teenager killed in a crash on the A10 was training to be a dance teacher.

Daniela Ruggiero, 18, was killed in an accident on the dual carriageway on Tuesday. She was training to become a dance teacher in Royston.

A 17-year-old girl, who has not yet been named, was also killed. They had been travelling northbound when their Citroen C1 struck a deer on the A10, between Ware and Puckeridge. The car then collided with a Volvo V40 and caught fire.

It is understood the Volvo driver, a man in his 50s, tried to save the girls from the burning car. However he was forced back by the flames and was later taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow with leg injuries.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance and land ambulance crews from both Buntingford and Hertford attended the scene, where the girls were pronounced dead.

East of England Ambulance Service spokesman Gary Sanderson, who attended the incident, said: “First and foremost our thoughts are with the families of the two girls who sadly lost their lives.”

Miss Ruggiero had passed her driving test earlier this year and had posted several photos of her car on Twitter when she first bought it.

Friends took to the internet to pay tribute to her. One wrote: “The worst always seems to happen to the best of us. Thoughts are with your family and friends.”

Another wrote: “It still doesn’t feel real. I can’t believe you’re gone. I love you so much, keep on dancing, angel.”

The A10 remained closed for approximately six hours after the accident occurred at 7.30am.

Herts Police are asking anyone with information on the accident to contact them on their non-emergency number 101.

* The number of deer involved annually in vehicle collisions in the UK is estimated to be as high as 74,000. Road accidents involving deer result in more than 450 people being injured a year, as well as several deaths.