Life in some parts of the eastern Mexican state of Tabasco has started to return to normal after a week of severe flooding.

The state's two major rivers, the Carrizal and the Grijalva, had broken their banks and left the state capital Villahermosa submerged.

Rescuers search for residents in Villahermosa, capital of Tabasco State, Mexico, Nov. 4, 2007.

The Carrizal, which passes through Villahermosa, returned to its normal course as heavy rain brought by Hurricane Noel stopped in Chiapas, upstream of the river, and the hydroelectric power station Las Penitas reduced its emergency overflow.

In Villahermosa, taxis and buses have emerged on roads, although people still need to travel to parts of the city by boat. Banks have opened in Tabasco 2000, an upscale area of the capital.

Residents carry their belongings on a boat in Villahermosa, capital of Tabasco State, Mexico, Nov. 4, 2007.

The state-run energy giant Petroleos Mexicanos said Monday in a statement it will begin supplying fuel via the Villahermosa Storage and Distribution Terminal.

However, Andrez Granier Melo, the governor of Tabasco warned that the state-wide state of emergency would continue until the Grijalva also returns to its normal course.

Rescuers said that at least 10 towns in the state were still under three meters of water, and thousands of people were trapped on the roofs of their houses.

The authorities have not yet published an estimate of deaths and damages.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2007)