Jordan MP, family members among 8 killed in road crash

A Jordanian MP, his wife and three of his children were among eight people killed late Saturday when their car collided with a winch truck, a security source said.

The truck's driver and his assistant were also killed in the crash on the desert highway south of Amman, along with MP Mohammad Amamreh, his wife, three children and his brother-in-law, the source said Sunday.

Parliament speaker Atef Tarawneh expressed his sorrow at the loss of Amamreh, a 53-year-old former army colonel from the southern Jordanian city of Maan.

Tarawneh decided to cancel a parliamentary session that was slated for Sunday, with a new date set for Monday, a statement said.

Jordan has a dire road safety record, with 750 people killed in 2016, nearly 150 more than the previous year.

Accidents are often attributed to the poor state of roads, disregard for driving rules and bad weather conditions, including sandstorms.

The desert highway that stretches from Amman to the southern port city of Aqaba is often the scene of fatal crashes.