AKIPRESS.COM - At least 13 people, including two young girls, were killed as flash floods engulfed multiple cities in Jordan on Friday, a government official said, CNN reports.

Heavy downpours triggered the floods, forcing more than 3,500 international and domestic tourists to be evacuated from the tourist city of Petra in southern Jordan, according to Jumana Ghuneimat, Jordan's minister of state for media affairs and government spokeswoman.

Ongoing rainfall in the Daba'a region of southern Jordan also led to the closure of the desert highway in both directions, said Ghuneimat. Vehicles were left stranded as the highway flooded and traffic trapped those attempting to leave.

Rescue operations continue across Jordan. So far, 60 people have been rescued and nine transferred to al-Nadeem hospital in Madaba, Ghuneimat said. Authorities have also deployed a drone to search flooded areas for missing people and gauge damage caused by the storm.