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A group of high school students and teachers were visiting hot springs near the Dead Sea when flash floods swept the region Thursday afternoon local time.
Thirty-seven college students, seven teachers, and several others traveled to the area when the torrent of water, caused by heavy rains, surprised them, according to the Associated Press (AP).
A general view shows the scene of the accident where people were killed in a sudden flood near the Dead Sea in Jordan on Thursday, October 25, 2018. (AP Photo / Raad Adayleh)
At least 21 people have died and at least 35 others injured. An unknown number of people are missing.
"[The floodwaters] swept the students for 4 to 5 kilometers [2-3 miles]Brigadier General Farid al-Sharaa said via AP.
Thirteen people escaped the flood without being injured and some clung to the rocks to survive.
An Israeli army search and rescue team has been dispatched to the scene to contribute to the reconstruction efforts, reported the AP.
Helicopters and divers were used during the rescue operation which lasted until Thursday evening.
The storm that caused the heavy rains and floods will leave the area on Friday, as dry weather announces the clean-up and rescue operations that will continue this weekend.
The area is accustomed to sudden floods due to its low altitude in the middle of the surrounding mountains. In April, 10 teenagers died as a result of a heavy rain that caused a sudden flood south of the Dead Sea.
