Jordanians mourn death of social media star Abood Al Omari

The 23-year-old Jordanian, who was on a trip to South Africa with friends, died in a car crash

Social media star Abdallah Al Omari, 23, died in a car crash in South Africa. Instagram

News of the death of young social media star Abdallah Al Omari, known as Abood Al Omari, has shocked Jordanians who woke up to the news on Sunday.

The 23-year-old actor and comedian, who was in South Africa, died in a car crash on Saturday evening. The news was confirmed by his father and later by authorities.

Al Omari had flown to South Africa with a group of friends last week for tourism and was sharing photos and videos from his trip to his Instagram.

Daifallah Alfayez, the official spokesperson for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry told Al Roeya TV on Sunday that preliminary report showed that the vehicle Abboud and his friends were in had turned over, leading to his death and the hospitalisation of others, adding that they have since been cared for and have left the hospital.

Alfayez also said that Jordanian embassy in South Africa was awaiting the issuance of the necessary medical and death reports in order to proceed with bringing the body back to Jordan, and flying the rest of his friends safely to the country.

Al Omari, who was known for creating short comedy sketches and sharing them to his social platforms, had more than a million followers on Instagram and over 300,000 on Facebook.

Many fans, including celebrities in Jordan and across the Arab world, took to social media to express their grief and condolences to the late influencer's family.

Jordanian superstar Diana Karazon also shared her condolences, posting a prayer on Instagram.

Syrian comedian Amr Maskoun shared the news in disbelief adding that he had been in touch with Al Omari that same day, and then asked his followers to read verses from the Quran in his memory.

Jordanian comedian Wessam Qutob, also a friend of Al Omari, shared his condolences, with a video of prayer for the late comedian.