Floods drive thousands from their homes in Mexico

Floodwaters Hurricane Lorenzo were receding after rains caused mudslides and floods that killed at least five people and drove tens of thousands from their homes in eastern Mexico.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Melissa was gaining strength on Saturday evening over the eastern Atlantic, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It had sustained winds of 75kpm, but posed no immediate threat to land.

In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Juliette was about 800km off the coast of central Mexico and was no threat to land.

Atlantic Tropical Storm Karen faded into a tropical depression and was likely to dissipate soon, with winds of 55kpm about 795km east of the Leeward Islands.

Rivers Mexico, which had swollen 6.4m above usual levels, began to recede on Saturday, but officials said it might take weeks for all flooding to subside.

Lorenzo Mexico's Gulf coast on Friday and quickly faded into a potent rainstorm as it moved over the lush, ravine-cut mountains of east-central Mexico, dumping more than 33cm of rain in some areas in less than a day.

In hard-hit parts of Veracruz state, streets remained flooded by weather that ripped roofs off some 2,000 homes and swept cars away.

Residents the oil city of Poza Rica fled their homes as the water rose.

"My son and I left home with just two changes of clothes, we didn't have time to return for our other things, and the water came quickly and filled all the houses," said Laura Fernandez Rosas, of Poza Rica.

In Mexico's Puebla state, a hillside gave way in the village of Ixtaczoquitla, burying a 26-year-old woman and two girls, ages 3 and 5, who appeared to be her daughters, the state government reported.

A nine-year-old girl died in the village of Rancho Nuevo and a 19-year-old man was missing, washed away by a flooded river, the government reported.

In neighboring Veracruz state, an 83-year-old man died after falling into a hole in drenched soil near his home, local police said.