Mexico floods close oil wells, force 7,500 out

Areas of two towns in Veracruz were under up to 10 feet of water

	People stand on the rooftop of a home in a flooded area near Minatitlan, Mexico, on Monday.
Barbara Dector / AP

Video: Weather

Snowstorm snarls travel
Dec. 1: The Weather Channel's Jorma Duran discusses flight delays facing travelers going in and out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Weather wreaking havoc on holiday travel

Heavy snow hits Great Lakes

Residents return to see what’s left

A firefighting mission from above

More from weather.com

Hurricane Central
Storm watch
Severe alerts
WeatherReady
Cold, flu report
Ski conditions
Rush hour traffic
Airport delays
NFL forecast
Fitness in the cold

Message boards

Share your thoughts on storms and other wild weather

updated 10:32 a.m. ET Sept. 30, 2008

MEXICO CITY - Mexican officials have evacuated 7,500 people and are keeping oil wells shut in Veracruz due to severe flooding from heavy rains along Mexico's Gulf coast.

The state's top civil protection official, Ranulfo Marquez, says large sections of the towns of Minatitlan and Hidalgotitlan are under 10 feet of water.

With rain-swollen rivers jumping their banks, residents have been wading through chest-high waters and floating down roads on canoes.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Marquez said Monday that water levels are starting to drop, and Petroleos Mexicanos spokeswoman Georgina Saavedra says five Pemex wells remain closed.

The wells shut down Sept. 22 produce at least 1,500 barrels of crude per day. Their closure is not expected to affect prices.