Hurricane Rina Picking Up Strength

Hurricane Rina was slowly picking up strength Tuesday, with forecasters warning it was on track to lash Mexico's resort-lined east coast with heavy rain, strong winds and destructive waves.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 5:00pm ET advisory that Rina was about 275 miles (440km) southeast of Mexico's Cozumel, packing winds of up to 110mph (175kph).

The slow-moving Category 2 hurricane was expected to take a northwest turn, toward the coast, and to continue strengthening over the next 48 hours, becoming a major Category 3 storm or higher as early as Tuesday evening.

The storm could dump eight to 16 inches (20 to 40cm) of rain over the eastern Yucatan Peninsula from Wednesday morning into Friday, with a storm surge five to seven feet (1.5 to 2m) high, the NHC said. Hurricane conditions were forecast to hit the coast Thursday morning.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, from north of Punta Gruesa to the popular tourist destination Cancun.

Less severe tropical storm watches and warnings were in effect for coastal areas extending south of Punta Gruesa to Honduras' Bay Islands.

Earlier Tuesday, a Nicaraguan naval vessel that went missing in the Caribbean amid Hurricane Rina was found after two days adrift. All 29 people on board are "safe and sound," officials said, according to AFP.