An obese man whose weight had left his bed-bound was applauded by neighbours as he walked out of his house for the first time in six years.

Juan Pedro Franco Salas, from Mexico, who weighs about 500 kilos (78 stone) was given a round of applause by neighbours on Tuesday as he walked the short distance from his bed to an ambulance outside his home.

The 32-year-old smiled and thanked his neighbours as he walked to an ambulance that took him to Guadalajara where he will receive months of weight-loss treatment by specialist surgeon Dr Jose Antonio Castaneda.

An accident aged 17 and depression caused Juan Pedro Franco Salas to gain more weight. APTN

Mr Franco Salas told reporters that at age 17, weighing 200 kilos, he had an accident and he gained more weight as he wasn’t able to move around.

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As the medical team constructed a structure to help him stand up for the first time, he said: “I think there is a new hope, a door that’s been opened for me. And here we go, to see what we can do about this.”

Juan Pedro Franco Salas was bed-bound for six years. APTN

His mother, Maria de Jesus Salas said that he used to help in the family shop in their home town of Aguascalientes but he got depressed and stopped leaving the house.

“When he still went outside, life was different, it was better,” she said. “But in one of the depressions he had, he didn’t want to go outside anymore. And when he wanted to, he couldn’t move anymore.”

Mr Franco Salas was born weighing 3.4 kilograms (0.5 stone) and put on 10 kilos per year.

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At six he weighed 60 kilos (nine stone) and at 17, weighing 200 kilos (31.5 stone) he had an accident that restricted his movement causing him to gain more weight.

Mexican Manuel Uribe was once considered the world’s heaviest man, before he died in 2014 at age 48.

Uribe’s peak weight of 560 kilograms (88 stone) was certified in 2006 as a Guinness World Record.