Heavy rains and flood waters have swept through a number of provinces in Saudi Arabia, claiming the lives of nearly 48 people in the kingdom.

Torrential rains pounded Jeddah and the nearby holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafath, where Muslim pilgrims spent their first day of the annual Hajj rituals on Wednesday.

Traffic in Jeddah, located 80 km (50 miles) west of the holy city of Mecca, was congested and streets were flooded, seriously affecting the city's sewage system.

In a telegram to the Saudi King Abdallah Bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud on Thursday, the Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Nayif stated that the number of foreign pilgrims gathering for today's Hajj rituals in Mecca has exceeded 1.6 million.

Civil Defense Spokesman Maj. Abdullah Al-Harthi said that his organization has plans ready to deal with the flooding with 300 buses prepared to evacuate the people if necessary.

The number of foreign pilgrims, representing 183 nationalities, is 7 percent less than the 2008 figures, according to Saudi media.

The fall comes amid fears in Riyadh of a swine flu outbreak with the Kingdom taking precautionary measures to stem a sudden explosion of the virulent disease.

Signs at the airport and around the holy sites advise the pilgrims to cover their faces while coughing, wash their hands regularly and wear a mask, while the swine flu vaccine is being offered at the airport free of charge.

So far, four pilgrims have died from swine flu since arriving in Saudi Arabia and 67 others have been diagnosed with the virus, according to the Health Ministry.

MRS/MB