Thousands of tourists have evacuated from the historic city of Petra due to floods sweeping Jordan.

A seven-year-old girl has died after her father's car was swept away in the water in the Dabaa area in the north of the Middle Eastern country, Arabi21 reports.

The death toll across Jordancurrently stands at three, Jordan government spokeswoman Jumana Ghneimat said.

There were five people in the car which the young girl was in. Another girl has been found alive, while three more people are missing.

Salim al-Fergat, head of the Petra regional authority, told Ammon News that the floods were the worst the area has experienced in 60 years.

Journalist Aaron Magic, who shared video of water sweeping through Petra, wrote: "After Dead Sea flooding two weeks ago killed 21 Jordanians, the country is facing today more intense flooding in Petra."

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Shocking pictures show water flooding into the city
Footage shared on social media shows the scale of the flooding (
Image:
Twitter)

And Zaid Benjamin, also a journalist, posted that 3,500 tourists had been evacuated.

Authorities said people were moved from the nearby town of Wadi Musa after an early warning system was activated.

According to Jo24, 3,500 tourists were taken to safe locations, with high levels of rainfall blamed for the flash flooding.

Ma'an region Governor Ahmed al-Amoush told Jordan News Agency that some roads had been damaged by the water.

The World Meteorological Organization posted video of the flash floods on Twitter, pointing out that the latest emergency comes just weeks after tragic deaths in October.

Dramatic images show flooding in the historic city of Petra
Pictures and footage show water sweeping through the city

The city is believed to date back to 9,000BC, and has been described by "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".

It is known as the Red Rose City because of the distinctive colour of its stone.

In 2007 Petra was announced as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and has become popular as a tourist destination.

But Jordan has suffered with intense flooding in recent weeks.

Last month at least 19 people, the majority of them children, died when a bus was swept away close to the Dead Sea.

King Abdullah reportedly cancelled a trip to Bahrain in order to follow the rescue operations.

Jordan's education and tourism ministers resigned earlier this month after a probe into 21 deaths found evidence of negligence.