AMMAN — Four conscripts and a bus driver were killed and 18 other conscripts injured on Thursday when a civilian bus carrying conscripts returning to their homes in southern Jordan collided with another vehicle, the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said on Thursday.

 

JAF official spokesperson said in a statement that the accident occurred at around 3:15pm, adding that the injured were evacuated to Prince Ali Military Hospital, Karak Government Hospital and Tafileh Government Hospital, according to a JAF statement.

 

The injured are receiving the necessary medical care under the direct supervision of specialised medical teams, the spokesperson said.

 

The JAF General Command extended its condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

 

Traffic Department Director Brig. Gen. Raed Assaf said that the accident occurred when the public bus carrying conscripts heading to their homes in southern Jordan collided with a cargo vehicle, Al Mamlaka TV reported.

 

Initial investigations showed that the direct cause of the accident was the cargo vehicle driver’s sudden lane change, he said.

 

The Public Security Directorate has formed a traffic investigation committee to determine the causes and circumstances of the accident, with preliminary findings indicating that the crash resulted from human error, Assaf added.

 

He said the PSD’s 2025 statistical analysis of traffic accidents showed that human factors accounted for around 96 per cent of the causes of accidents, compared with factors related to vehicles or roads.

 

Assaf said the PSD’s traffic plans and programmes focus on four main areas, including governance and legislative deterrence, smart monitoring and the use of modern technology, infrastructure development and upgrading, and strengthening community partnerships and public awareness.

 

He stressed that addressing driver behaviour is at the forefront of the PSD’s monitoring and awareness efforts to reduce traffic accidents by improving the performance of traffic departments, strengthening enforcement and raising road users’ awareness.