THE father of an Oxford student killed on a gap year trip spoke last night how the Ecuador bus crash brought tragic memories flooding back.

Ian French said he was saddened, but not surprised, to hear of the crash on Saturday which killed four British teenage gap year travellers and their 26-year-old guide.

Mr French's daughter Georgia, 19, was killed in a bus crash in the Peruvian mountains just weeks into a round-the-world trip.

The IT consultant and his wife Pat, of Davenant Road, North Oxford, set up a charity called GapAid to help other travellers after losing their daughter last March.

They are trying to get in touch with the families of those killed this weekend - including that of former Henley College pupil Indira Swannok, 18 - to offer support and advice.

Indira's boyfriend, Harry Felton, 19, from Didcot, was expected to arrive home yesterday.

Mr French said: "Clearly it has woken up lots of memories on a personal level. It has certainly taken us back just over a year. There are parallels obviously.

"What we are trying to do is be very positive about it. A lot of what we learned and the experiences we had will be useful to people."

Miss French, a former Oxford High School student, was travelling with two friends, Jessica Last, from Banbury, and Charlotte Mardon- Heathok, of North Oxford, who were both injured in the crash. Four others were also killed.

GapAid estimates almost 250,000 young people embark on gap adventures every year, with about 30 per cent experiencing problems including medical emergencies, legal issues and personal attacks.

The charity aims to set up a helpline and weblog to provide support for travellers and their families. Mr French said GapAid had received a fantastic response from individuals, but needed at least £100,000 sponsorship from corporations and public bodies.

He said GapAid's website had received huge numbers of hits since the Ecuador tragedy.

But he added: "It requires another tragedy to bring it to people's attention. There is a massive amount of work to be done.

"We think there is a screaming need for something like GapAid to act as an intermediary in giving practical advice."

Since their daughter's death, Mr and Mrs French have spent hours researching the safety of youngsters travelling abroad and run GapAid from their home.

Mr French said: "There are hundreds of people who die on the roads in Peru every year. It's scary.

"Tragically, it takes something like this to make people wake up.

"I would say do a gap trip - I can't emphasis that enough. But be sensible about destination, be sensible about planning properly and most importantly stay in touch."

For more information, or to donate, see gapaid.org