Search teams respond to two missing persons cases in southern Jordan

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate announced that search and rescue teams in the southern region are currently dealing with two separate incidents involving missing persons in Al-Hasa and Petra.

Public Security Directorate spokesperson Amer Sartawi announced that search and rescue teams have been deployed in southern Jordan, involving police stations in Tafileh and Petra, civil defense, gendarmerie forces, and tourism police. These teams are responding to two separate missing persons reports in Tafileh Governorate and the Petra District.

Sartawi confirmed that the first report came from the West Ma’an Police Directorate, alerting authorities to a group of tourists trapped by flash floods in Petra. The rescue teams successfully evacuated 14 tourists, with no injuries reported. However, two individuals—a mother and her son—are still missing.

In a separate incident, search teams in Tafileh began searching for a teenager who went missing while tending to livestock near the flood channels in Al-Hasa.

The Public Security Directorate reiterated its warnings, urging the public to exercise caution and avoid areas near flood channels and low-lying regions.

Meanwhile, the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) evacuated hundreds of tourists from Petra on Sunday after heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in several areas of the region. This precautionary measure was taken to ensure the safety of visitors.

Yazan Mahadin, Commissioner of Petra Archaeological Park and Tourism, stated that ticket sales for the archaeological site were suspended from midday for safety reasons.

Earlier, 1,785 tourists had visited the site. Most were evacuated by Civil Defense teams from popular areas such as Al-Khazneh, the Siq, the Roman Soldier’s Tomb, the Monastery, and the slopes of Prophet Harun. No injuries were reported among the evacuated tourists.