Petra floods: At least 12 dead as thousands of tourists flee ancient city in Jordan

Flash floods forced thousands to flee to higher ground in Petra
AFP/Getty Images
Tom Powell11 November 2018

At least 12 people have died after flash floods hit Jordan and forced 4,000 tourists to evacuate the ancient city of Petra.

Visitors were forced to run for higher ground as a deluge of water surged through a narrow canyon and flooded the historic site in minutes.

Tourists were taken to safe areas while residents were also urged to evacuate their homes, with more heavy rain expected.

The floods also hit several other areas of Jordan, with rescue teams searching for five people whose car was swept away in the town of Madaba, south west of the capital Amman.

Rescue teams at the scene of an accident where a family of six died due to floods in Madaba
EPA

A state of emergency was declared in the port city of Aqaba, while a shelter was opened for dozens of people whose homes were surrounded by water in the southern town of Maan.

Those killed in the floods include two children and a diver who had been involved in rescue efforts, according to Jordanian government spokeswoman Jumana Ghuneimat.

Separately, Israel's public radio said contact had been lost with three Israeli tourists in southern Jordan. The Arabic-language Makan Radio said the tourists had last been heard from in the Wadi Rum area, another major tourist attraction.

A deluge of water surged through a narrow canyon and flooded Petra within minutes
AFP/Getty Images

The torrents came two weeks after 21 people, most of them children, were killed in flash floods near the Dead Sea.

In Petra, the ancient trade hub carved into rose-hued rocks, heavy rains began at around 1 p.m. Friday and last for about 40 minutes.

Suleiman Farajat, the chief administrator in Petra, said the site would remain closed Saturday, but would likely reopen Sunday. He said he's never seen flooding of such intensity in the area.

"It's really, I wouldn't say scary, but surprising how huge the flood was," he said.

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