Eight people died after being washed away by flood waters near Medina during the worst torrential storm to hit Saudi Arabia in 20 years. The dead were among a 13-member family crammed into one vehicle which had tried to cross a flooded valley, Al Watan newspaper said.

The vehicle was swept away and bodies found some 10km away.

One passenger was rescued while four others are still missing.

Many residents of Medina were forced to leave their homes after they were flooded while a dam outside the city collapsed, isolating villages where the fire brigade rescued 43 stranded people. Two pilgrims on Hajj reportedly died and 196 others suffered fractures when they fell down during rare heavy rains which lashed the Mecca region on Saturday, partly flooding pilgrim camps in Mina and causing traffic jams.

In November 2003, torrential rains around Mecca left 12 people dead.