Floods in Jordan: the number of dead reaches 19 when the body of a girl is found

DEAD SEA, Jordan – Jordanian rescuers seeking sudden flood survivors in the Dead Sea region found the body of a 12-year-old girl on Friday, bringing the death toll to 19.

The body was found one day after college students and teachers visiting the local hot springs were swept away by the torrent. Civil defense officials said the surge, triggered by heavy rains, dragged several kilometers into the Dead Sea.

Mustafa al-Basaiah, the kingdom's general director of civil defense, said 13 of the dead and 21 of the three dozen wounded were college students. Many people are still afraid of disappearing, he said.

A complex rescue operation involving helicopters, divers, sniffer dogs and hundreds of investigators continued on Thursday night.

Research resumed after sunrise on Friday.

Jordan's King Abdullah II canceled a scheduled working visit to Bahrain, initially scheduled for Friday. He was to be the main speaker at a security conference.

The lower Dead Sea area, which is part of the Jordan Valley, is prone to sudden flooding when rain water falls from adjacent hills. In April, 10 Israeli students were killed during a flood during a hike near the Dead Sea.