Nine British pilgrims killed in Jordan crash

Nine Britons on a pilgrimage tour in Jordan were killed in a bus crash today.

The tourists, all thought to be elderly, were near the ancient city of Petra when their coach had a tyre blow out and hit a pick-up track before somersaulting into the air.

The Prince of Wales, who is touring the Middle Eastern kingdom, was due to visit Petra tomorrow and was said to be deeply shocked.

A number of people were injured in the accident.

Those taken to hospital in the capital Amman were due to be visited tonight by Charles and Jordan’s King Abdullah.

The Britons were on the sixth day of an eight-day tour to Jordan organised by Christian tour operator Pilgrim Travel of Deal, Kent.

The tourists had spent two nights in Petra and were travelling on the dual carriageway Desert Highway between Wadi Rum and Madaba.

Three Jordanians were killed, including the driver of the bus and driver of the pick-up truck.

Samir Samawi, who was visiting his nephew – the tour guide for the tourists - in the King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman, said: “He said he’s OK.”

The 36-year-old suffered a broken leg, bruises and cuts to his head.

He told his uncle: “The front tyre blew out and the bus after going into a truck somersaulted.”

British Ambassador Chris Prentice said: “This is very sad news indeed. The Prince of Wales and Her Majesty Queen Rania (of Jordan) were both deeply shocked and saddened.

“It was a very serious and tragic accident. The main objective is to ensure the survivors are given the best possible treatment.”

Charles and Queen Rania were in north west Jordan visiting a nature reserve this morning.

Pilgrim Travel was, in its own words, founded to “provide a unique personal service to leaders and pilgrims travelling on pilgrimages and sharing holidays to places of Christian interest”.

The company arranges tours to a number of countries including Turkey, Spain, Austria, Finland, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Portugal. Pilgrim Travel’s Jordanian tour was from October 23 to 30.

The tourists flew from Heathrow Airport to Amman and the tour included trips to the town of Ajlun in the north of Jordan and the Roman town of Jerash, before a journey to the ancient city of Petra, described as the “rose red city, half as old as time”.

The accommodation in the city was at the Petra Palace Hotel. On the sixth day of the trip – today – the tourists were being driven to Mount Nebo from where, in the Bible, God showed Moses the Promised Land.

The tour was then scheduled to include a visit to Madaba, home of famous Byzantine mosaics and an after-lunch drive to the Dead Sea.

Tourists had been due to stay in the Dead Sea Spa Hotel tonight, with further tours tomorrow and a flight home on Saturday.

As the British embassy attempted to contact next of kin, the injured were taken to hospital in Amman and to hospital in Tafeelah, the nearest town to the crash.

David Symes. sales and marketing manager for the Jordan Tourism Board in London, said: “This has come as a great shock and our hearts go out to the families of those involved.

“The Desert Highway is a new, dual carriageway road, which is in excellent condition and the main road which connects the north and south of the country. Vehicles in Jordan are maintained to a very high standard.”

Mr Symes said the number of UK visitors to Jordan had dropped in the early years of this decade following the events of September 11 and general Middle East unrest.

But British tourism to Jordan had picked up recently, with 35,000 Britons going to the country in the first eight months of this year.