(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Tropical Storm Ingrid has strengthened after becoming Mexico's second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, prompting the evacuation of several thousand people while an increasingly powerful tropical storm Manuel threatened to become a hurricane as well, dumping rains that could cause flash floods and mudslides as it nears landfall on Sunday.
On Saturday evening, Hurricane Ingrid was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph).
The storm was centered about 185 miles (300 km) east of Tampico, Mexico and moving north at 7 mph (11 km).
The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said that if Ingrid stays on the forecast track, it is likely to reach the coast of Mexico on Monday.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Cabo Rojo to La Pesca.
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated on the Gulf of Mexico coast ahead of Hurricane Ingrid which already has winds of 120km/h (75mph).
Officials say that two of Mexico's three major oil-exporting ports are closed, although most of the country's Gulf Coast ports including Veracruz remained open on Saturday as the storm approached.
More than 1,000 homes in Veracruz state have been affected by the storm to varying degrees, and 20 highways and 12 bridges have suffered damages, according to the state's civil protection authority.
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