Hurricane Lane, which made its landfall in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa on Saturday, has left at least one person dead and two missing, and forced ports, airports and bus stations to be closed on Sunday.

The torrential rain brought along by Lane caused severe damage, mostly in the south and center of the state, where the army has evacuated more than 3,000 people from areas below 1.5 meters above the sea level.

Civil protection authorities have declared a red alert, as hundreds of villages lost contact with outside, hundreds of homes were flooded and the drinking water and electricity services were interrupted.

Residents of Culiacan, capital of the state, had to leave their homes by walking across roofs to reach rescuers in motorboats or helicopters.

Lane's strong winds also forced the closure of the Culiacan-Mazatlan highway, where trucks turned over and electricity pylons, trees and advertising signs crashed onto the road.

Culiacan Mayor Aaron Irizar Lopez has declared a state of emergency, saying the south of Culiacan was worst hit, lacking both electricity and drinking water, and Navolato alone saw 1,440 people evacuated, mostly due to flooding.

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2006)