Smash hit

The parents of Ms Swann, who was due to read Classics and English at King’s College London in the autumn, paid tribute last night to their daughter.

Her father, Greg Swann, who sells printing machines, said: “She was 18 years of joy. An intelligent, kind and generous person who had her whole life ahead of her. Her happiness was infectious. We are absolutely devastated. She had a large circle of friends and she will be so sadly missed. But we will have to focus on the 18 years of joy she gave us.”

The survivors, who included a local tour guide, a local driver and a French citizen, along with the gap-year students, suffered injuries including a broken collarbone, whiplash and leg injuries.

As the Prime Minister expressed his sadness at the news, the Foreign Office said that the bodies of those who died had been transferred to the nearby port city of Manta. The acting ambassador to Ecuador was visiting the mortuary last night and making arrangements for them to be returned to Britain. He had visited the survivors after being flown to the area by the Ecuadorian military.

An FCO spokesman could not confirm reports that the parents of some of the deceased were flying to South America. It also expressed anger last night at an Ecuadorean website that published graphic photographs of the crash.

Mark Davison, a director of VentureCo, told The Times that the crash was heartbreaking.

“It’s tragic, its just one of those things that should never happen,” he said. “Parents shouldn’t have to go through this with 18-year-old children. As a parent myself, it’s heartbreaking.”

The Britons, whose homes are scattered across the country, had gathered for the adventure of a lifetime, most before they were due to start university. After setting off on March 27, they had spent two weeks with a Spanish language school and were due to embark on a volunteer project, where they were to build sanitation and other facilities for a crèche in Puerto López.

Students had used the online networking site Facebook to tell friends and family that they were having the time of their lives.

On March 31, on her fourth day in Ecuador, Ms Swann wrote that she was having a “great time” and had spent the weekend in the mountains.

She said: “I’m lovin’ the chilled out vibe here, there’s music everywhere and the people are very smiley, even if I have no idea what they are saying.”

Mr Davison said that VentureCo had been operating in South America since 1999 and was familiar with the route taken by the group.

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