Jordan’s Minister of Tourism Lina Annab and Minister of Education Azmi Mahafza submitted their resignations Nov. 1, becoming the first political casualties of one of the kingdom’s deadliest incidents in decades.

On Oct. 25, 37 children from an Amman private school, accompanied by seven adults, were on a school outing in the Zarqa Ma’in gorge when flash floods swept away dozens of people, some as far away as the Dead Sea. The floods killed 21 people, including 15 school children, and injured dozens. Local residents, civil defense, police and army personnel took part in a large search and rescue operation that continued late into the night and the next day. 

The tragedy of “Black Thursday” shocked Jordanians nationwide and forced a saddened and angry King Abdullah to cancel a planned visit to Bahrain the following day. The UN secretary-general and several world leaders sent condolences.

Chairing a National Policies Council meeting Oct. 27, the king said, “I and all Jordanians are bereaved by this tragedy.” He called for “drafting a report that determines what took place, stressing the need for transparency to identify who should be held accountable.”