Brief delay in schedule saves tourists’ lives

AMMAN — The bus driver was supposed to show up at 7:30am on Sunday to pick up a group of tourists from Amman to Karak. He was late because of a technical problem, which made the tourists a little upset. 

In the afternoon, they rejoiced at the very thing that annoyed them in the morning, because it saved their lives, or at least spared them the horror other visitors of the old Crusader castle had to experience.

“Thank God he was late. We feel very lucky today that he was late. We are now safe,” Liam Jouannon, an 18-year-old tourist from Australia, a member of the group, told the Jordan Times Sunday.

The driver was supposed to take the group of 13 tourists, coming from Australia, Canada, the UK, the US and New Zealand, to the Dead Sea then to Karak Castle, which in the afternoon was the scene of a shootout between security forces and terrorists.

The terrorist attack in the southern town, 150km from Amman, led to the death of at least four policemen, three gendarmerie members, two citizens and a Canadian citizen.

“When the driver was late, we started to crack jokes about lack of punctuality… Then we moved on with our journey,” their tour operator, who preferred not to be named, told The Jordan Times.

Around 2:00pm, the bus was two minutes away from the castle that was built in the 1140s. Then, traffic came to a complete standstill, and a few minutes afterwards, the bus driver was supposed to take a right turn that leads to the castle.

“At the turn, a man waved for us not to enter and asked us to drive straight… I realised there was something wrong and the tourists were upset that they miss visiting the castle despite being very close to it following a long journey,” the guide said.

A few minutes later, the passengers could hear an exchange of fire, said the guide.

“At the beginning, I could hear gunshots but then I started to hear an exchange of fire with machine guns,” said the guide.

As the bus started to head away from the castle, people from all walks of life, women with their children and even the elderly started to run in panic and scream.

“I realised then there was something big. I opened the window. I asked around and then realised what happened: The shooting was obviously between the police and the gunmen who were hiding in the castle,” said the guide.

“Thank God also that the man asked us not to take the right turn as that was a dead end leading to the castle and there would have been no way to escape,” said the guide.

“The tourists were afraid, but I asked them to contact their families and reassure them that all is good and that they are safe,” he said.

Jouannon, who arrived in Jordan three days ago, said he was overwhelmed with the hospitality and the culture of the country and that he was looking forward to the remaining eight days of his trip.

“Monday, we are going to Petra and then Wadi Rum… In spite of what happened, I am delighted to be here and I am enjoying my time,” said Jouannon.

“I want to tell my family that I am safe and all is okay,” he said.