Jordan search and rescue bid continues as toll mounts in deadly flash floods

Flash floods in Jordan have killed at least 12 people after torrential rain in several parts of the country, including the ancient city of Petra.

Two women and two young girls were among those killed, the Jordan News Agency said yesterday. At least nine were hurt in Friday’s flooding.

Government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat said at least two people were missing after searchers yesterday said they rescued two and found the body of a third person in the Madaba region south-west of the capital of Amman.

Ms Ghunaimat said searches for missing people were continuing, aided by soldiers and helicopters sent to assist in search operations.

The Jordanian military also sent troops and armoured vehicles from its base in the southern town of Al Jafr to help residents trapped by floods.

The army said it gave shelter to more than 100 Syrian and Jordanian people in a military academy in Maan governorate to protect them.

It came two weeks after flash floods near the Dead Sea killed 21 people, mostly 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.

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

Thousands of visitors to Petra fled for higher ground on Friday as water surged through a narrow canyon leading to the Treasury, Petra’s main attraction.

Authorities were forced to move more then 3,700 tourists from the ancient city to safety, Ms Ghunaimat said.

Civil defence divers searched for five people whose car was swept away by floods in the Madaba area.

A major road that links Amman with the south was also closed. The government announced the closure of universities and schools yesterday and mosques were opened to shelter civilians in flooded areas.

Further south, in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, authorities declared a state of emergency in as downpours started in the afternoon. Local reports claimed the floods stirred panic among tourists to the area.

Suleiman Farajat, the chief administrator in Petra, said the site was closed yesterday but would probably reopen today.

Mr Farajat said he had never seen flooding of such intensity in the area.