Nine Britons killed in Jordan bus crash

Nine British tourists were killed yesterday along with two other people when their tour bus collided with a car in southern Jordan on the way to the capital, Amman. The crash occurred when the one of the front tyres of their coach burst and the vehicle veered over the road and slammed into a small pick-up truck.

Nine British tourists were killed yesterday along with two other people when their tour bus collided with a car in southern Jordan on the way to the capital, Amman. The crash occurred when the one of the front tyres of their coach burst and the vehicle veered over the road and slammed into a small pick-up truck.

The Jordanian tour guide and an Egyptian passenger were also killed, while a further 24 tourists were injured, five of them seriously.

The British Ambassador to Jordan, Chris Prentice, said that at the "express wish" wish of the King of Jordan the survivors were being airlifted to hospitals in the capital. Mr Prentice added that his prayers were with the families and injured.

The accident occurred near the town of Tafila on the desert dual carriageway between Wadi Rum and Madaba. The Britons, who were taking part in a pilgrimage around the sacred sites of Jordan, were making the 155-mile journey back from the ancient city of Petra, a popular tourist attraction famed for its buildings carved in rock.

The head of the Prince Zeid Hospital in Tafila, Dr Kamel al-Bawaneh, said 13 foreigners, most of them British, had been admitted, five with "severe" injuries. He said all 13 were transferred to an Amman military hospital.

The accident came on the third day of a state visit to Jordan by the Prince of Wales. The Prince, who was said to be deeply shocked by the accident, visited four injured Britons at al-Hussein Medical Centre in Amman last night, along with King Abdullah II.

"My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in this ghastly accident," he said in a statement. "My thoughts and prayers are with their families."

He told the Press Association: "I have spoken to one of those who survived the accident. He could not have been more appreciative of the wonderful care that the Jordanian emergency services provided."

Clarence House confirmed that the prince will continue with his official visit to Petra's grand treasury building today.

The exact circumstances of the accident were unclear last night. "We are still waiting for news as the accident happened some way from ... Amman," an embassy spokeswoman said. "Consulate staff are on their way to the scene."

Officials said they could not yet give a certain total for the the number of passengers, nor say whether there were any other nationalities on board. The Britons were on a holiday tour organised by Pilgrim Travel, which is based in Deal, Kent. The trip began on the 23 October and was due to finish at the Dead Sea Spa hotel at the end of the month.

The ancient site at Petra was intended as the highlight of the visit, with trips to the Bedouin desert camps and other sacred sites also on the bill.

The Foreign Office was last night still contacting relatives and had not released the names of any of the victims. It said concerned relatives could ring 0207 008 0000 for information.