About 1,800 tourists were evacuated from the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. On Sunday, the southwestern regions of the country hit the lightning flood. In the nearby district of Shubak, local services found the bodies of lost tourists from Belgium.
On Sunday, the low pressure system brought heavy rainfall to the south and southwestern regions of Jordan. The downpour led to instant floods, which affected, among others, the ancient city of Petra and its surrounding areas. In a short time, the iconic valleys with the ruins of the city of Nabataeans turned into rapid streams. As a result, local authorities decided to evacuate nearly 1,800 tourists.
– In total, the region was visited by 1785 people. The services managed to evacuate most of them – said the local official Yazan Mohadin.
Films of tourists gathering before entering the Pharaoh treasury appeared in social media for a moment before the start of evacuation.
They found the bodies of tourists from Belgium
Other regions of Jordan also affected floods. On Monday, the services found the bodies of tourists sought after from Sunday from Belgium. As the local media describe, the victims are a mother with a child who were part of a group of 18 people visiting Wadi Al-Nakhil in the Shoubak district. Floods also led to a blockage of some roads.
These types of cataclysms are not rare in Jordan. In 2021, the water kidnapped the car, killing three people near Petra. In 2018, 30 people were killed in two floods. As Jordan Times informed, tourists could visit Petra again on Monday.
Reuters, Newarab.com, Times of Israel, Jordan Times
Source of the main photo: Reuters