AMMAN: The death toll from flash floods in Jordan has risen to 12 and the kingdom’s main tourist attraction, the ancient city of Petra, was closed for cleanup after what local officials said was the biggest deluge in the area in decades.
Friday’s floods struck several areas of Jordan.
Rescuers continued the search for missing people around the Wala reservoir in central Jordan on Saturday.
In the southern town of Maan, authorities opened a shelter for dozens of people whose homes were surrounded by water.
In all, 12 people were killed, including two children and a diver who had been involved in rescue efforts, according to state media and 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.
The torrents came two weeks after 21 people, most of them children, were killed in flash floods near the Dead Sea. The tourism and education ministers resigned over the Dead Sea flooding.
In Petra, the ancient trade hub carved into rose-hued rocks, heavy rains began at around 1 p.m. on Friday and lasted for about 40 minutes, said Rafael Dorado, 41, a tourist from Spain.
At about 3 p.m., a torrent of water came gushing through the site’s steep and narrow access canyon, flooding the area within minutes, he said.
Delgado said he was observing from a hilltop temple in the area, but saw other visitors scrambling to higher ground.
He said some visitors were later evacuated by trucks and others made their way out on foot.
Suleiman Farajat, the chief administrator in Petra, said the site would remain closed on Saturday, but would likely reopen on Sunday.
He said he had 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.
In a separate development, Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works, Hussam Al-Roumi, resigned following heavy rainfall that caused damaging flooding across the country.
Kuwaiti Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim said a meeting would be held on Sunday to discuss the impact of the flooding.
The army and national guard were mobilized to help clear water from critical facilities and roadways and the Kuwait Oil Company announced a state of emergency, state news agency KUNA reported.
No deaths or injuries were reported.
“Out of my moral responsibility ... I have submitted my resignation to the prime minister,” Minister Al-Roumi said.
Jordan opens shelter as flash flood death toll climbs to 12
Jordan opens shelter as flash flood death toll climbs to 12
- The torrents came two weeks after 21 people, most of them children, were killed in flash floods near the Dead Sea
Sudan paramilitary advances near Ethiopia border
- Sudan’s Kordofan region, where the SPLM-N has its other foothold in the Nuba Mountains, is currently the war’s fiercest battleground
KHARTOUM: Sudanese paramilitary forces have advanced on army positions near the southeastern border with Ethiopia, according to the group and an eyewitness who spoke to AFP Wednesday.
Control over Sudan’s southeastern Blue Nile State, bordering both Ethiopia and South Sudan, is split between the army and a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, allies of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
In a statement released Tuesday, the SPLM-N, led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, said they had “liberated the strategic city of Deim Mansour and areas of Bashir Nuqu and Khor Al-Budi.”
Since April 2023, the Sudanese army has been at war with the RSF. In February of last year, the RSF announced a surprise alliance with the SPLM-N, securing experienced fighters, land and border access.
Deim Mansour lies between the SPLM-N stronghold Yabus, birthplace of their deputy commander Joseph Tuka, and the army-held town of Kurmuk, which hosts a large army contingent.
Babiker Khaled, who fled to Kurmuk, told AFP that SPLM-N fighters began amassing in the forests around Deim Mansour on Sunday.
“The shelling began on Monday, they entered the city on Tuesday,” he said, adding that “some people fled into Ethiopia, others arrived in Kurmuk.”
From its foothold in the southern Blue Nile, a thin strip of land jutting south between Ethiopia and South Sudan, the SPLM-N maintains reported supply lines from both countries, building on decades-old links.
Close to three years of war in Sudan have left tens of thousands dead and around 11 million displaced, creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.
It has also torn the country apart, with the army holding the center, north and east of Sudan while the RSF and its allies dominate the west and parts of the south.
Sudan’s Kordofan region, where the SPLM-N has its other foothold in the Nuba Mountains, is currently the war’s fiercest battleground.
On Tuesday, the army broke a paramilitary siege on South Kordofan state capital Kadugli, days after breaking another on the nearby city of Dilling.
