**Floods in Saudi Arabia have killed 48 people, and 900 more have been rescued, after the heaviest rainfall in years.**None of the casualties had been among the millions attending the Hajj pilgrimage, said a spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry.
Heavy rainstorms on Wednesday had hampered the start of the annual Muslim event in the city of Mecca.
The flood deaths were in the port city of Jeddah, Rabigh and Mecca, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
It quotes an official from the interior ministry, who said the deaths had been caused by flooding and collapsed homes.
Scorching heat
The four-day Hajj pilgrimage draws more than three million people to Mecca from around the world.
After Wednesday’s sudden downpours, the heat on Thursday was scorching as worshippers travelled to Mount Arafat, the desert plateau where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his farewell sermon.
Saudi authorities have warned pilgrims to take care in the rain.
Fatal stampedes have marred the pilgrimage in the past, and many of the visitors stay in tents.
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