2 tropical storms flank Mexico's coasts

Two tropical storms flanked Mexico on the Gulf and Pacific coasts, producing heavy rains, causing rivers to overflow and threatening to spark landslides, forecasters said. Tropical Storm Manuel formed off the western coast hours after Ingrid emerged in the Gulf of Mexico near the eastern state of Veracruz., according to US and Mexican weather authorities. Tropical Storm Ingrid could become a hurricane before making landfall late Sunday or early Monday, according to the US National Hurricane Center. The Gulf storm was stationary about 95 kilometers (60 miles) from the port of Veracruz but was already drenching eastern Mexico, forcing villages to evacuate and causing some rivers to overflow. Ingrid was expected to be very close to the coast over the weekend, the Miami-based Center said in a 0000 GMT bulletin. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers (45 miles) per hour. The storm was expected to dump 10 to 15 inches of rain on a large part of eastern Mexico and more in mountainous areas. "These rains are likely to result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the center said. State oil company Pemex said late Thursday that it had preemptively suspended "sea and air operations" in the area although rigs in the region continued to operate. Heavy rain has lashed Veracruz this week, killing 14 people, including 13 people who died when a landslide crushed their homes in a mountainous region of the Gulf Coast state. On the Pacific coast, Tropical Storm Manuel was "getting a little bit stronger" as it moved slowly westward, the US hurricane center said. The storm was moving at nine kilometers (six miles) per hour, and was located some 290 kilometers (180 miles) from Lazaro Cardenas, a Michoacan state coastal city. The storm, blowing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers (45 miles) per hour, was expected to be close to the southwestern coast by late Saturday or early Sunday and produce floods and mudslides.