Some 1,700 tourists were evacuated today from the archaeological site of Petra, in southwestern Jordan, due to flooding in the area caused by heavy rains in recent days, according to official sources.
(Also: This is how the tragic bus accident occurred in Spain in which 7 people died)
“The Jordanian government has evacuated some 1,700 tourists in Petra due to the heavy rains,” the president of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Region Authority, Suliman al Faryat, told EFE, who assured that “the situation is stable and there is no danger for tourists, although the reception process (of visitors) has stopped since noon”.
According to Al Faryat, “All that is happening now are simple floods due to the continuous rains in the area, the authorities know how to handle the situation” because these circumstances “have been repeated for 30 years”.
After decades suffering from this phenomenon, the authorities “are more careful with this type of emergency” with a clear protocol: “evacuate tourists from tourist areas by car to take them to areas out of danger”, as well as “stop receiving new visitors until further notice”.
(Also: Tension grows between the two Koreas after ‘provocative act’ with drones)
In addition, the device designed to deal with these episodes includes “returning the tickets sold for visits that finally could not be made.”
Al Faryat affirmed that Jordan learned the lesson after a total of 12 people died in the rains in 2018 torrential storms in various parts of the country and forced the evacuation of thousands of citizens and tourists from the monumental city of Petra.
Images recorded by Jordanian television Al Mamlaka TV and shared on its official Twitter account show a strong torrent of water falling towards the entrance of the Petra temple, where dozens of tourists were waiting to be evacuated at the door while protecting themselves from the rain with raincoats
🇯🇴 | URGENT: Severe flooding is reported at the iconic Petra monument in Jordan today, a world heritage site. Tourists have been evacuated and several casualties have been reported in the area.pic.twitter.com/yy7YLhum4g
– Alert News 24 (@AlertaNews24) December 26, 2022
From the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Region Authority they hope that “with the improvement of the weather in the next few days, they can begin to receive people”, although they already anticipate that if the rains and floods continue, “They will not receive anyone to guarantee the safety of tourists.”
Besides, the heavy rains that affect the country have left three people injured during the floods in the province of Maan, southwest of Jordan, after the minibus in which they were traveling was swept away by the torrent of water, according to the region’s Emergency Unit, quoted by the official Jordanian news agency, Petra.
(We invite you to read: Ukraine asks to withdraw Russia from the UN while the Kremlin prepares its 2023 offensive)
The city of Petra is an archaeological site excavated entirely in rock, which dates back to the time of the Nabateans, around the 5th century BC, and is considered one of the most important treasures in the world.
Another video shared by social networks records the dramatic event.
According to the latest data provided by this organization, in the last 11 months a total of 1,419,048 visitors of various nationalities arrived in Petra, a figure that represents 38% more compared to the same period last year, in which 757,038 visitors arrived. from the same area.
EFE
#Video #Due #floods #tourists #evacuated #Petra #Jordan