TRIBUTES poured in last night to the North-East victims of the Jordan bus crash.

Friends and family paid homage to the dead tourists as new claims emerged that a tyre had blown out earlier in their journey and had to be changed at a garage.

The party of 18 then continued on Jordan's Desert Highway before the accident near the ancient city of Petra, in which nine British tourists died and nine were injured. Two Jordanians and an Egyptian also died, and two Jordanians were injured.

The group were on an eight-day spiritual tour of Jordan arranged by Christian holiday company Pilgrim Tours of Deal, in Kent.

Those who died were members of the Methodist church in the Newcastle, York and Hull areas.

Asma Khader, a spokesman for the Jordanian Government, said the bus burst a tyre and spun out of control before it overturned and crashed into a pick-up truck.

Among the dead were school governor Richard Fothergill, 67, and his wife, Angela, 65, from Gosforth, Newcastle.

The couple's three daughters last night spoke of how their parents had been ''a source of constant love, support and encouragement throughout our lives''.

In a statement issued through Northumbria Police they said: "We have so many happy memories of laughter and fun that we shared as a family, right up until they left for Jordan."

One of the victims is understood to be a single woman in her 70s who lived in sheltered accommodation in York.

Another was named last night as Nancy Ansbro, from Louth, in Lincolnshire.

Retired Methodist minister Graham Haslam, from York, was believed to have organised the tour and was understood to be travelling with his wife Margaret. They worshipped at Heworth Church, York.

The Prince of Wales, on an official visit to Jordan, went to the accident site yesterday.

With Jordan's King Abdullah, who arranged for the transfer of the injured to the capital Amman, the prince had visited the injured in hospital on Thursday evening.

It emerged last night a wheel had to be changed earlier in the day on the tour bus.

Survivors Roger Brown, 67, and his wife, Trisha, 66, said a coach tyre had blown out on Thursday morning and the tyre had been changed at a garage before they continued their journey.

The couple, from Dunnington, York, were recovering in hospital in Amman yesterday.

Mrs Brown said ''We had a blow-out in the morning and the tyre got changed at a garage. I thought 'right that's done' and we set off again.

"The next thing I knew, there was a bang and the coach veered to the centre.

''It was awful, really awful. I was sitting in the aisle seat and I think I must have been thrown through the window because I was lying outside in the road.''

Gail Nichol, 60, from Newcastle, suffered arm and shoulder injuries. She said: ''I could hear cars and lorries screeching to a halt. There was lots of shouting and running about. I saw people I believed to be dead at the scene.''

Methodist ministers joined in the tributes to those who died.

The Reverend Will Morrey, president of the Methodist Conference, and the Reverend David Deeks, general secretary of the Methodist Church, said: ''Our sympathy and prayers are extended to all involved, and especially those in York and Hull and Newcastle who are working to support and help the families and friends of the bereaved and injured."

Phil Lynes, a director of Pilgrim Travel said they were deeply shocked and saddened by the accident.

He said none of the injured had life-threatening injuries and the names of the dead would be released once all the next of kin had been informed and the formal identification process had been completed by the Jordanian authorities.

* Relatives or close family members needing support or counselling can contact 020 8907 3530 over the weekend or 020 7486 5502 from Monday.