Two women who tragically died after they were hit by a car when they stopped to help an injured animal have been identified as nurses.

Sarala Khadka and Areeza Suwal, both 30, were struck on the Hume Freeway in Melbourne just after 7.30pm on September 4.

It is believed the pair had stopped to help an injured kangaroo.

The two women of Nepalese descent were both nurses in Melbourne and "best-friends".

The tragedy is more heartbreaking as it is believed Suwal died on her birthday.

In the early hours of September 4, Khadka had posted a birthday message to Suwal, hours before the accident.

"Hey Besty ... oh wait, let me correct myself ... Sisy, because honestly, you're more like a sister than a friend," Khadka wrote.

"Through all these years you've been my constant - my partner in crime

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