18 dead due to flash floods near Dead Sea
Due to the sudden increase in water levels due to heavy rains in the areas near the Dead Sea, the school children and teachers who went for hot water springs were swept in the water. An official of the Civil Defense told that the number of dead is being reported as 18 in the incident while 35 injured are reported.
Brigadier General Fareed Al Sharra said that these people went to enjoy a hot spring. But suddenly, due to heavy rains, there was flood situation and some people washed up for several kilometers.
He said that 37 school students, seven teachers and some other sailors had gone on a Thursday afternoon and suddenly came under the grip of rain, whose water carried them for four to five kilometers.
Rescuers have saved 13 people from going to the mouth of death. Many people saved their lives by climbing rocks. Israeli army told that on the request of the Jordanian government, a search and rescue team was dispatched there.
Dead Sea is below sea level and it is part of the Jordan Valley. Here rain water from the nearby hills often flows rapidly and turns into a flood. The Prime Minister Omar Razaq went on a tour to take stock of the situation and later also went to the hospital to meet the injured. King Abdullah II of Jordan has announced that he is leaving his UK tour in the middle and is coming back.
