Bodies of mother and her son recovered after flash floods hit southern Jordan

The bodies of a Belgian mother and her were recovered on Monday in Jordan, a day after the woman and her three children were reported missing in flash flooding which hit the ancient city of Petra.

The two other children were found, according to the police.

Sunday’s flooding in southern Jordan also led to the evacuation of hundreds of tourists from the Petra archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists who had been on an adventure trip in Wadi al-Nakhil when they were caught up in the flash flood, Ma'an district local governor Hassan al-Jabour told state media broadcaster Al-Mamlaka TV.

Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday. Rescue crews located two of the children alive late Sunday, al-Jabour said. The search and rescue operation was suspended at about 2 a.m. because of the complicated weather conditions and terrain.

The bodies of the woman and her son were found Monday morning after the search resumed, he said. Further details about the family and the ages of the children weren't immediately available.

Heavy rains began after strong, low-pressure conditions hit southern Jordan, quickly turning the valleys surrounding Petra into rivers and flooding the Siq passageway, the main and narrow entrance to the archaeological site.

Videos shared on social media showed panicked tourists trying to get to high ground as rivers gushed down the rocky formations surrounding the ancient site, and Jordanian authorities rushed to get visitors out.

The Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) had confirmed the evacuation of hundreds of tourists. Some reports said around 1,800 tourists had to be rescued.

Emergency teams also evacuated homes in low-lying areas, and some videos showed submerged vehicles stuck in flooded roads.

The PDTRA urged people to exercise caution and avoid valleys until weather conditions improved, while schools were closed in affected areas.

Authorities had issued warnings before the flooding started.

At least three people died in 2021 when floodwaters swept away their car, while more than 30 people were killed in flash flooding that hit Petra and Jordan’s Dead Sea coast in two separate floods in 2018.

Petra, built some 2,300 years ago by the Nabatean kingdom and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is carved out of sandstone cliffs and ravines where water levels can rise quickly and take visitors by surprise.

Though flooding is not uncommon in Petra, serious landslides that may follow the heavy rain could cause a major risk to the ancient structures built into the cliff face.

Extreme weather has become more common in Jordan and across the MENA region, with heritage sites threatened by climate change. UNESCO has referred to the Middle East as ‘ground zero’ for climate change.

*This story was updated with news of the mother and her son killed.

(The New Arab, AP)