Flooding kills one, forces tens of thousands to flee

? A week of heavy rains unleashed massive flooding in southeastern Mexico, killing at least one person and forcing tens of thousands to flee rising waters in Tabasco and Chiapas states, officials said Wednesday.

An unidentified man was killed and some 20,400 people sought shelter Wednesday in Tabasco’s oil-rich capital of Villahermosa, the state government said in a news release. Gov. Andres Granier urged residents to evacuate the city where floodwaters reached the rooftops of homes.

Rescuers worked feverishly to evacuate thousands of people before nightfall Wednesday, but thousands more were still waiting on roofs, federal police rescue unit chief Daniel Montiel told local television.