Flash flood kills at least 19 in Jordan

At least 19 people died and another 35 wounded over a flash flood near Jordan's Dead Sea, the officials said on Friday.

Most of the dead were students and teachers whose bus was swept away during a school outing, Jordanian Civil Defense Directorate said in a statement.

Speaking to the press Thursday, Civil Defense Operations Director Farid al-Sharaa said the students, teachers and other tourists were visiting hot springs in the area.

The Directorate also announced the collapse of a bridge and the closure of a road in the Dead Sea area.

The Jordanian rescue teams have been searching for the missing, according to the statement.

Following the incident, Jordan's King Abdullah II canceled an official visit to Bahrain -- scheduled to begin Friday.

Jordanian Royal Court declared three days of national mourning over the incident.

On Thursday, areas in the kingdom were hit by flash flood due to heavy rains -- which led to a sudden flow of water into several valleys in the kingdom.