Ecuador Bus Crash
5 British tourists killed, 15 injured in Ecuador
Five British tourists were killed and 12 injured in a bus crash in Ecuador late on Saturday, the Foreign Office said on Sunday.
Four gap-year students and their guide died when their tour bus was in collision with another vehicle as they travelled from the capital Quito to the coastal town of Puerto Lopez.
Indira Swann, 18, Elizabeth Pincock, 19, Rebecca Logie, 19, Emily Sadler, 19, and tour leader Sarah Howard, 26, died in the crash, which happened at around 6 p.m. near the town of Jipijapa.
They were taking part in a trip organised by Warwick-based gap year specialist VentureCo, whose director Mark Davison told Sky News the younger four of the dead women had planned to start university in September.
They died within 30 minutes of their destination on a part of the road regarded as the "safer part" of the journey.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash.
Twelve Britons, a French national and two Ecuadoreans -- a driver and a tour guide -- were injured in the crash, the Foreign Office said. None of the injuries are believed to be critical.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the acting ambassador in Quito had arrived in Manta and was visiting the injured at a clinic where they were being treated for minor injuries.
They will return to Quito in the next day or two, and fly home to Britain when their condition permits, she said.
javno.com
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STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTER OF TOURISM OF ECUADOR
Sunday 14th April 2008
For immediate release
On Saturday 12th April, at around 7.30pm, on the road La Pila-Jipijapa, which connects the cities of Guayaquil and Manta on Ecuador´s Pacific Coast, a road accident took place between a public transport bus owned by the Cooperativa de Transportes Reina del Camino and a lorry loaded with sand. The lorry collided with the rear section of the bus, causing the death of five British citizens and injuring several others. The group of 20 – 18 British citizens, one French citizen, and their Ecuadorian tour companion – were part of a volunteer and adventure project organized by the British-based company VentureCo.
Ecuador, its President - Rafael Correa Delgado – and the entire nation have been stunned by the accident which has bereaved British families. We send our most heart-felt sympathy to the families of the victims, particularly in recognition of the fact the young people involved came to Ecuador as volunteers, to learn Spanish and explore our country. We are pained by the tragic loss of these young British citizens, who travelled to give generously of their time and their energies to our communities.
In view of this tragic event, the President of the Republic has personally given instructions to the Ecuadorian authorities to take utmost care of the victims of the accident, Sarah Howard, Rebecca Logie, Lizzie Pincock, Indira Swann and Emily Sadler.
The members of the group who returned to the capital Quito, on Sunday 13th, are being lodged and cared for at the government´s expense. They will be given every assistance as the Ecuadorian authorities continue to work in conjunction with the representatives of the British and French embassies in Quito on the best course of action for those involved.
Verónica Sión
Minister of Tourism of Ecuador
(+593 2) 2224970
rgarcia@turismo.gov.ec
www.turismo.gov.ec
www.vivecuador.com
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