Hurricane Karl has left seven killed and eight missing in east of Mexico, local government said Sunday. The total number of people affected reached 500,000 in the region.

Karl reached the north province of Veracruz on Friday and degraded one day later.

Fidel Herrera, governor of Herrera, said more than 20,000 houses were flooded away and some 500,000 people were left without electricity and drinking water due to the overflowing rivers.

Meanwhile, civil protection authorities evacuated 40,000 people from the municipalities of Medellin de Bravo, Cotaxtla, Jamapa, La Antigua and Actopanm while thousands of people were still waiting on the roof of their houses to be rescued.

Herrera said the most affected region was the tourist zone of Veracruz Port and Jimenez Sur, where Jamapa River and La Zamorana and Jimenez canals overflowed.

The seven deaths and the eight missing were reported in the municipalities of Cotaxtla, Medellin and Carrillo Puerto. However, Herrera did not give more details about the death "for respect to their relatives."