A TRANSLATOR who survived a bus crash in Ecuador which killed a Cheshire woman has relived her horrific experience.

Tour leader Sarah Howard, 26, of Northwich, was one of five Britons who died when their VW bus was hit by a “dump trailer” which was on the wrong side of the road.

Natalie Guzman-Leon, 24, who worked with gap-year students in Quito, was also on board the single-decker bus.

It crashed on April 12 last year as the passengers made their way to a fishing village 12 hours from the capital, to help build a library.

Yesterday, a statement from Miss Guzman-Leon was read to the Macclesfield inquest into the deaths.

She said: “The coach seemed to take an age to come to a halt.

“Everybody was silent at first, then started screaming.

“It was very dark and I could not see clearly.

“I lost consciousness for a few seconds but when I regained consciousness I could see Sarah lying on the floor on her back with her head in the corridor.

“I could not see any obvious injuries.”

Miss Howard died along with gap-year students Emily Sadler, 19, of Hertfordshire; Rebecca Logie, 19, of Chorley; Indira Swann, 18, of Maidenhead; and Elizabeth Pincock, 19, of Somerset.

Miss Logie and Miss Swann died from severe head injuries. The other three died from multiple injuries.

The inquest heard trailer driver Tulio Rudiger Velez Velez fled the scene and has not been found.

The driver of the bus, Kevin Geovanny Cevallos Cordoba, also fled.

The official Ecuadorian inquiry into the crash found the dumpster had driven into the bus’s lane, colliding with it. But passengers on the bus, who were part of the gap year adventure with Warwick-based VentureCo, repeatedly said their driver drove badly.