The floods are the worst in Tabasco for half a century [AFP]

Half a million people have been left homeless and one person has been killed after the Mexican state of Tabasco suffered its worst flooding in more than 50 years.

Nearly the entire low-lying southern state has been submerged after a week of heavy rain, leaving residents trapped on rooftops and clinging to lampposts on Friday.

Felipe Calderon, the Mexican president earlier described the flooding as one of the worst natural disasters in Mexico's history.

Weather forecasters have predicted more rainfall in the coming days.

Nearly all services, including drinking water and public transportation, have been shut down in the state capital Villahermosa.

Rescue services were struggling to deal with the size of the damage.

Of the estimated 700,000 people whose homes have been flooded, damaged or cut off, about 300,000 have yet to be rescued.

Aid needed

The governor of Tabasco, Andres Granier, said potable water supplies had been exhausted in Villahermosa.

Dozens of people anxious about relatives and friends gathered outside government offices seeking assistance.

Others waded despondently through waist-deep water or wandered along highways leading out of the capital.

"We lost everything," said Manuel Gonzalez, whose house was flooded.

"I left without one peso in my pocket and I can't find my siblings."

The state of Chiapas, which borders Tabasco to the south, also reported serious flooding. Officials there estimated more than 100,000 people had been affected.

Calderon asked Mexicans to contribute bottled water, canned goods, nappies and other vital supplies to donation centres around the country.

"Nobody can stand around with his arms crossed," he said. "We can't and won't abandon our brothers and sisters in Tabasco."

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