Flash flood kills nearly 12 in Jordan and forces tourists to evacuate

Civil defence members look for the missing. Reuters

Flash floods in Jordan have killed at least 12 people and wounded several others, the state-run Jordan News Agency reported on Saturday, one-day after heavy rain hit several parts of the country, including the ancient stone-city of Petra.

Friday’s heavy downpours came two weeks after flash floods near the Dead Sea killed 21 people, most of them children. Politicians and members of the public criticised the emergency services at the time, saying crews had been unprepared, and two ministers were forced to resign after a parliamentary committee found negligence.

Two women and two young girls are believed to be among those killed on Friday. At least nine others have been wounded.

Government spokeswoman Jumana Ghuneimat said at least two people remain missing, after Civil Defence units on Saturday said they rescued two and found the body of a third person in the Madaba region south of the capital of Amman, according to JNA.

She said that searches for missing people are ongoing. The Jordanian military said that that it has sent soldiers and helicopters to assist in search operations. It also said that it has dispatched troops and armored vehicles from its base in the southern town of Al Jafr to assist residents who were trapped by floods in nearby areas.

Civil defence divers searched for five people whose car was swept away by floods in the Madaba area, southwest of the capital, state news agency Petra said.

Flash flooding in Petra pic.twitter.com/X8K5syKE3k
— HeyReno (@BCandDoubleP) November 9, 2018

In a statement on Saturday, the army said that it provided shelter for more than 100 Syrian and Jordanian civilians in a military academy in the Maan governorate to protect them from the floods.

The Madaba region, the Maan governorate and the ancient city of Petra were among the areas hit hardest by Friday’s storms.

Down #Wadi_Musa, #Petra #flash_floods tourism street ⁦@JITours⁩ pic.twitter.com/frpYz9VVsK
— Mohammed Salman Almarat (@mohammed_amarat) November 9, 2018

Hundreds of Petra visitors ran for higher ground Friday as water surged through a narrow canyon leading to the Treasury, Petra's main attraction. Authorities were forced to evacuate more then 3,700 tourists from the ancient city.

A major highway that links Amman with the south was also closed. The government announced the closure of universities and schools on Saturday and mosques were opened to shelter civilians in areas hit by the floods.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba further south as downpours started in the afternoon.

Videos posted on social media networks showed torrents of water gushing through the canyons, and local reports claimed the floods stirred a panic among tourists visiting the area.