Thousands await rescue in Mexico
Saturday, 03 Nov 2007 08:31
Over a million people are affected by the flooding in the southern state of Tabasco
Over a million people are stranded by flooding in Mexico's southern Tabasco state.
Local residents are seeking refuge on rooftops as floodwaters inundate large parts of the state. The Mexican navy is sending personnel in small boats to rescue those affected by the floods.
Mexico's president Felipe Calderon has cancelled a foreign visit to coordinate relief efforts at home and has declared the situation an emergency.
The floods were caused by storms, which have also halted work at the country's oil facilities. As the storms moved through the country, the heavy rains caused rivers to breach their barriers and causing the flooding.
Interior minister Francisco Ramirez told journalists in the area that the scale of the disaster was overwhelming.
The state's governor Andres Granier told the AFP news agency that his state had been "devastated" by the rising floodwater. He said that all crops in the area had been destroyed and that the flooding in the state was more severe than that brought by Hurricane Katrina.
Governor Granier told the news provider: "New Orleans was small compared to this."
One person has died in the flooding so far while hundreds of thousands are waiting to be rescued from the rising waters.