Floods have killed at least three people in a Mexican Gulf coast state where authorities are struggling to persuade thousands of people to leave their inundated homes.

Officials in the town of Huimanguillo say three men drowned while trying to flee a torrent of water from an overflowing drainage canal. The statement Wednesday said many residents of the town refused to leave their flooded homes.

Heavy rains have caused several rivers to overflow their banks in Tabasco state, flooding the homes of more than 50,000 people.

Flooding occurs yearly in the area despite government efforts to improve infrastructure. In 2007, floods killed 33 people and inundated more than 1 million homes.