AMMAN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 71 Jordanians stranded in Caribbean island of Saint Martin by Hurricane Irma arrived in Jordan on Tuesday by air, the state-run Petra news agency reported.
A Royal Jordanian air force plane on Monday headed to Saint Martin to airlift Jordanians back to the kingdom under directives from Jordanian King Abdullah II, the report said.
Zaid Al Louzi, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry was closely following up on the situation, while the Jordanians voiced appreciation for being airlifted back home, especially after the severe damage caused by the hurricane.
"I was worried because my daughter and three grandchildren are on the island. I am happy that they returned home now," Mohammad Sadeq, who was at the airport waiting for his relatives, was quoted as saying.
Saint Martin, an island shared by the French and Dutch administrations, was hit most badly by the hurricane with 95 percent of its territory destroyed.
The hurricane left over 80 people dead in the Caribbean and southern United States.
