Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Civil defence and public security crews were called in on Saturday to help rescue 590 foreign tourists stranded by a blizzard that struck the Kingdom and secure their arrival in the ancient city of Petra.

Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority official Mohammad Farjat said the tourists, who came from various nationalities, were heading from the port city of Aqaba to Petra in 10 buses when they were caught in the heavy snow.

Farjat, who heads the Authority's emergency committee, said rescue teams, backed by heavy machinery and equipment, opened the road for the buses before rerouting them as the road had been hit by freezing snow and ice since Friday evening.

Another authority official, Imad Hijazeen, said the tourists, who had traveled to Aqaba aboard vessels as part of weekly tours scheduled for Saturday, had crossed into Petra, adding that tourism was business as usual in the red rose city and no major weather-related incidents had been recorded.

He said 1,287 foreigners and 43 local visitors had made it to the city.