The bodies of 19 people – many of them schoolchildren – who were swept to their deaths by flash floods near Jordan’s Dead Sea area have been recovered.
The tragedy happened after heavy rains on Thursday, Jordan’s official Petra news agency reported, citing disaster management officials.
Some 35 people were treated for injuries. Rescuers are searching for missing people, the report added. Divers and air force helicopters are taking part in the operation, Petra said.
The dead included a number of children who were on a field trip aged between 12 and 14, according to government officials speaking on state television.
The school did not have a permit to visit the Dead Sea area, Jordan’s education minister said, according to Petra.
An investigation into the tragedy has been opened, the report said.
Jordan’s King Abdullah has canceled his attendance at a visit to a security summit in Bahrain on Friday because of the disaster, according to a tweet from the Royal Hashemite Court.