Oil workers missing off coast of Mexico

Ten workers from a Texas-based oil company are missing off the coast of Mexico after they abandoned a research vessel ahead of tropical storm Nate.

Mexico's state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, said on Friday that it was searching for the missing workers with two ships, the Associated Press reports, and air search teams were also involved. 

Tropical Storm Nate was drifting slowly west-southwestward at about 4 mph (6 1/2 kph) over the southern gulf late Friday with maximum sustained winds of near 50 mph (80 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was centered about 205 miles (330 kilometers) east-northeast of Veracruz. Forecasters said it was expected to hit Mexico's gulf coast Sunday possibly as a hurricane.

The workers, employed by Houston-based Geokinetics Inc., include "four Americans, four Mexicans, one from Kazakhstan and a 10th of unconfirmed nationality," according to the AP. They are thought to be in an enclosed life raft, which they entered after leaving a so-called liftboat, the Trinity II.

"We're deeply concerned about the incident in the Gulf of Mexico involving our employees and others who had to abandon a disabled liftboat due to conditions brought about by Tropical Storm Nate," Geokinetics spokeswoman Brenda Taquino said.

The captain of the 94-foot(28.6-meter), 185-ton Trinity II reported they were abandoning the vessel about midday Thursday, and a ship several miles (kilometers) away also reported seeing the crew enter the life raft.

There has been no communications since.

On Friday night, the Mexican Navy reached the Trinity II, but found no crew. The life raft is apparently equipped with food and water, but no communication device.

Petroleos Mexicanos has evacuated hundreds of employees from platforms off the coast of Veracruz and Tamaulipas.