Storm aims at Mexico with 10 oil workers missing

Air and sea search teams intensified their hunt for 10 missing oil workers as Tropical Storm Nate churned westward toward an expected landfall, threatening new areas of Mexicos gulf coast.Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Nate hadnt strengthened as expected in the early hours on Sunday and chances were declining that the storm would become a hurricane before it was forecast to rumble ashore during the day.At 2 am 0600 GMT on Sunday, Nate was cantered about 70 miles (115 kilometers) northeast of Veracruz, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph). It was heading westward at 6 mph (9 kph), the Miami-based forecasters said.A hurricane warning was posted along the coast from Tuxpan to Veracruz and a hurricane watch from south of Veracruz to Punta El Lagarto. The service said the government should act to protect life and property.Helicopters from the Mexican navy and the state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, left ports along the coast of Tabasco state to scour the sea while other crews searched the beaches closest to where the 10 oil workers abandoned their disabled liftboat for an enclosed life raft in the storm Thursday.The hope is that we find them alive at sea, said one navy rescuer searching the beach at Frontera on the Tabasco coast. He didnt give his name because he wasnt authorized to speak to the media.By Saturday afternoon, authorities said they still had found no sign of the workers, who were employees of Houston-based Geokinetics Inc. and who called for help Thursday afternoon after leaving a vessel known as Trinity II around midday. The missing include four US workers, four Mexican workers, one worker from Kazakhstan and a 10th of unconfirmed nationality.