At least 28 other people, including an Iraqi minister, were injured in the accident.

The bus overturned as it drove along a narrow road in a hilly area overlooking the Dead Sea, police spokesman Mohammed Khatib said.

The group was taking part in a UN-run training programme for Iraqi students and had gone to a Dead Sea hotel for dinner.

A police source said the two Britons who lost their lives had worked for the programme.

The wounded, who included Iraqi Minister of Science and Technology Raed Fahmi, were treated at the King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman.

Mr Fahmi was among four people who were still in hospital.

"His arm was broken and his shoulder was injured in the accident," the source said.

The British Embassy in the capital Amman confirmed the deaths, but declined to give other details.