Death of Australian David Burnett at Petra

The media reports in Sydney Australia are saying David Burnett died in a rockfall in the ancient ruined city of Petra, in southern Jordan. Any updates from a local source?

Only Australian sources apparently. I'm curious where exactly this tragic accident happened.

Local news reports briefly state a 21 year old Australian died from multiple head injuries after a tragic fall from a "high point " in Petra. Some reports
say a path collapsed.

What a terrible trajedy - my condolences to his family & friends.

The story I have from somebody who was at Petra when it happened is that the facade of one of the tombs was being restored and a scaffolding has been erected for this. The tourist climbed up the scaffolding which collapsed under his weight and he fell down 20 meters.

Being intrepid is all very well, but not when it turns to foolishness!

Silly. Just like the french guy that fell off the top of the Monastery a couple of days before I was there.

I am a friend of Dave Burnett. He was a wonderful, loving and generous human being, he sadly left us at the young age of 22. He was extremely passionate about caring for his local and the wider community and was a leader and role model to many, always caring for others, and teaching people to respect one another and value culture, heritage and our world. As lonely planet users I would assume you too value these attributes in another human being. His death was a shocking tragedy, and it is offensive to his memory, and his loved ones in mourning, to put it down to foolishness. I am sure you intended no harm, but please show some compassion.

Hello, I am also a friend of Dave, and I was with him when he died. Please be respectful of his memory, family and friends. The news stories that are out there are false, as are the reports that the scaffolding collapsed under his weight. Petra is a wonderful place however the safety of the park on a whole is questionable, it is encouraged that you explore however there is little to no safety precautions throughout the park, including the site from where Dave fell. If you plan to visit Petra make sure you are careful. I pray for Dave and his family and Friends.

There is no such thing as a safe mountainous environment, and Petra can indeed be a very dangerous place. As far as I know, there are clear signs (in english!) at potentially dangerous places, and some are even fenced.

If the report about the scaffolding is false, can you tell us exactly what happened? Where did he fall from?

I have every sympathy for the young man and for his friends, please don't think that I haven't, but in Petra the story is everywhere that he was imprudent.

Again I ask that people just be respectful of the memory of Dave, I assure you friends and family end up reading this thread. I am uncomfortable writing here, however I will clear up the record.

This is a terrible tragedy and I am hopeful that at the very least this will result in safety upgrades throughout Petra. I am hopeful The H.K. Of Jordan Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities Dept. of Antiquities PETRA site will make the necessary investment to ensure the safety of the future park visitors. They charge 21 Jordanian dollars for a day entry pass to hundred of thousands of people each year and some of that revenue should be spent on park safety.

I don’t know what you have read, and I have read most of the news stories and reports out there, however I was there; I was by Dave’s side as he passed away on the rocks. I can confirm that there were no signs, in English or Arabic, or fences anywhere near the monument. There was nothing warning against of inhibiting access to the monument.

It is true the weather was bad. It had been foggy all day and around 4 PM it began to clear up. We made the choice to climb one more monument. I had climb up the scaffolding and already made it back down when he fell. A board filling in a gap gave way under his weight, he fell and he passed away on the rocks bellow. It was a terrible tragedy and not something I can or ever will forget. I hope that his memory is not marginalized, and this is why I am even posting this. I hope to find a way to ensure the authorities are held accountable for the safety of their visitors.

The local authorities are clearly manipulating reports of what happened to protect Jordan’s top tourist attraction. Petra is a wonderful place and people should visit it, however the only way this tragedy could get worse is if something like this happens again due to poor safety throughout the park. I am not sure, but I would guess, there are still no signs or a fence at this site, as reported. If there are now, that is a good thing.

Dave was a wonderful person who made a positive impact in the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people. I pray for his soul and the well being of his family and friends.

Please believe me that I am feeling terrible for you. It must be an awful thing to see a friend die like this, and I am not trying to make things more difficult for you. I can understand that it is very hard for you to write about it.

But I heard that this accident happened close to the Treasury. While there are certainly many many dangerous places in Petra where extreme prudence is necessary, the area around the Treasury isn't one of them.

Any whyever did you need to climb scaffolding to visit a monument? Which monument was it?

I willingly believe that the authorities would cover up an accident in Petra, there hasn't been a word about it in the media, but I haven't heard an official line, just general gossip from the guides, which in general is reasonably correct.

I did not take this picture...

http://public.fotki.com/ykarelic4/jordan/petra/43img7042fs.html

I really do not have anymore to say on what happened.

I cannot understand that some people would even consider climbing that scaffolding. I would think it is obvious that this scaffolding is not meant for tourists, even in the absence of signs or fences.

This shouldn't be blamed on the park authorities and the lack of safety measures. See my second post in this thread...

No workers on this site would consider for one moment going up there without a safety harness. I agree that it is very obviously NOT a tourist access to the tomb itself, but a workman's tool for its restorers. One is expected to use a certain amount of intelligence in visiting any monument.

I think enough has been said though, and we must offer our sympathy to David's friend who has had the courage to post this link, even though it completely negates his original complaint.

This is in no way silly. And furthermore posting the link does not negate my complaint, there were other people we did not know waiting to climb up, and I would bet even today a tourist climbed up there. As I have said the only way this could get worse is if it happened again.

atxnewmexican I am very sorry for the loss of your friend David and my condolences to you and to David's family. We were in Petra this past week - and spent February 1st and 2nd there. I thoroughly, thoroughly agree with you about the safety of some of the spots we climbed to starting with The Monastery and then the next day a much steeper climb up to The High Sacrifice and perilous climb down to the Garden Tomb. Not a guardrail or rope in the place. Cannot imagine being a tourist here during the peak season when thousands visit each day. Although it is absolutely stunningly beautiful a bit more to be spent on safety would surely go a long way and hopefully could be done without damaging the beauty of this magnificent stone city. We saw only two signs warning of any danger in Petra and they said something to the effect that you should not wander off any of the paths on your own - both were in English. Sadly another tourist died there on the afternoon of February 2nd; an older man who fell three meters off the bridge near the Nympheum. That morning a horse died. About Robert Sette http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentID=7439307 and http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=77286705

We were not warned that the rocks were to slippery to be climbing - by anyone - and knew that our days there required caution on our part. And again, not a single sign near any of the tombs and monuments - not one - warning of danger just two signs warning us not to wander off on our own.

Thanks to all of you who have highlighted the poor safety conditions at Petra. We shall be visiting there soon. What with the rampant animal cruelty and wanting safety conditions I'm feeling "weak" at the knees! I'm also really sorry about Australian Dave and the older American man. It's easy to judge people when you're not in the situation yourself ---- heartfelt condolences to those concerned.

Thanks to all who have highlighted the poor safety conditions at Petra. We shall be visiting soon and what with the rampant animal cruelty and wanting safety conditions I feel "weak" at the knees! There needs to be decent governmental legislation to rectify these evils! I'm also really sorry about Australian Dave and the older American man. My heartfelt condolences to all those concerned. Thanks again to those of you who have been honest in commenting on this.