A travel operator has sought to reassure those planning
gap year travel that accidents are "very, very rare".
Five Britons
backpacking in Ecuador were killed earlier this week in a collision between their tour bus and a truck, sparking concern over the safety of
gap year travel.
However, head of sales and marketing at Raleigh International, Rachel Collinson was keen to reassure tourists that more than 200,000 young people travel independently every year without being involved in any accidents at all.
She told Channel 4 news: "With travelling there is always an element of risk, but the key thing is young people are aware of this risk.
"The operators in the industry manage that risk through establishing risk assessment procedures and crisis management plans," she added.
Some 14 other people were thought to have been injured in the crash. Investigations are still ongoing in an attempt to establish what caused the tragic incident.
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