Bodies of two Belgian tourists found after flash flooding in Jordan

Hundreds evacuated when Unesco-listed Petra archaeological site hit by torrents

The bodies of two Belgian tourists were recovered in Jordan on Monday, after the mother and son went missing in flash flooding in the country's south that forced the evacuation of hundreds.

The pair had been part of a group of 18 holidaymakers visiting Wadi Al Nakhil, a popular adventure tourism spot, when they were caught in the torrent.

Two other children in the family were found alive, Jordanian police said.

Sunday’s flooding prompted the evacuation of hundreds of tourists from the Jordan's famous Petra archaeological site, a Unesco-listed World Heritage site.

No casualties were reported from the flooding at Petra, officials said.

The bodies of the mother and son were found on Monday morning in the Shobak region, about 200km south of Amman, according to statement from Jordan's General Security Directorate.

Fourteen other tourists, all Czech nationals, had been rescued in the area on Sunday before search operations were called off for the night due to weather conditions and difficult terrain.

Civil defence personnel, police and gendarmerie forces all took part in the search, state news agency Petra said. The two bodies were recovered on Monday and an investigation has been launched into the tragedy, it added.

Jordan's meteorological authority published a video showing the floods hitting the Petra archaeological site.

It showed holidaymakers gathering at the entrance of the Treasury, one of the site's most iconic tombs, before being evacuated. Similar evacuations have occurred in the past.

Jordan frequently experiences flash flooding when dry desert valleys are hit with heavy seasonal rains. At least three people died in 2021 when floodwaters swept away a car, while more than 30 people were killed in flooding that hit Petra and the Dead Sea coast in two incidents during 2018.