Jordan king orders formation of committee to investigate Dead Sea flood incident

After Jordan's Tourism Minister Lina Annab and Education Minister Azmi Mahmoud Mahafaza resigned on Thursday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II called on Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz to form a neutral committee to determine the details and events leading up to the the Dead Sea flash flood disaster that took the lives of 21 people, including children.

According to Jordan’s official news agency, the committee’s aim is to investigate the truth about the events leading up to the incident and identify the parties responsible.

It also aims to explore the lessons that can be drawn from the unfortunate incident and draw up plans to avoid a similar situation in the future, the news agency stated.

The committee is also expected to prepare a comprehensive report with its recommendations that will be presented to the king.

The committee consists of parliament members, judges and representatives of the family members of the victims.

21 people, mainly schoolchildren and teachers, were killed in a flash flood near Jordan's Dead Sea that happened while they were on an school trip.

Thirty-four people were rescued in an major operation involving police helicopters and hundreds of army troops. Jordan’s Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz said the government takes full moral and managerial responsibility for the Dead Sea flood