52 killed in bus crash in Jordan

Fifty-two people have died after a bus carrying Muslim pilgrims careered off a road in Jordan and exploded into flames.

The accident happened at 8am local time on a road outside the southern port town of Aqaba.

Most of the passengers were Egyptians returning from a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy

city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

A civil defence spokesman said the accident appears to have been caused by faulty brakes on the bus.

The driver lost control on a bend in the road coming out of the mountains above Aqaba,

causing the bus to smash into a truck depot, where it burst into flames.

All 52 people on board were killed.