In the new “seventh wonder of the world” – the stone “pink city” of Petra in Jordan, a large-scale disaster almost occurred: more than a thousand tourists had to be quickly evacuated due to unprecedented flooding, several victims are reported.
The reason is sudden heavy rains, which caused severe flooding. Sudden heavy rains in these parts are dangerous because the stony soil does not have time to absorb water, and the mountainous terrain accelerates its flow – as a result, streams full of sand and stones are a mortal danger. It was they who fell from the rocks on Petra and turned stone corridors along which tourist paths pass into real rivers.
According to Jordanian media, the natural disaster at the World Heritage Site required the rapid evacuation of at least 1,700 people. The Siq Gorge in Petra turned into a “river of mud” after a storm caused the evacuation of tourists. Videos that surfaced on social media showed raging water flowing off cliffs, real turbulent rivers instead of footpaths, and many tourists trying to get out in cars and buses. So far, several casualties have been reported.
In general, heavy rains covered the entire southern part of Jordan, where it was also not without incident. So, the flood “washed away” a minibus in the province of Maan in the south of the country, the passengers were injured, but alive. At the same time, the Jordanian Public Security Directorate reported that a weather warning had been issued and said that landslides and rockfalls could occur.
And this is no coincidence: floods in these parts are dangerous, and in Petra it has already led to lethal outcomes. The flood of 2018 claimed the lives of 11 people here, and even then thousands were evacuated.
Our reference: the Jordanian stone city of Petra is not included in the classic list of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, which were the ancient Greeks, however, Petra was on the list “new” seven wonders of the world, compiled in 2015. About 100 million people chose candidates from a huge list of attractions. The list includes the Roman Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and other attractions.
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