MEXICO CITY: Tropical Storm Helene formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Friday and pushed close to the coast of Mexico's Veracruz state, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
   
Located about 65 miles (105 kilometres) east of Tuxpan, Mexico, Helene was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 kph), the NHC said in its bulletin at 10 p.m. CDT (0300 GMT Saturday).
   
The center of Helene will make landfall on Saturday, the NHC said.
   
A tropical storm warning was issued for a stretch of Mexico's Gulf coast from Barra de Nautla to La Cruz.
   
There were no reports of the tropical storm affecting the Gulf of Mexico's oil installations, which are built to resist much more powerful hurricanes.
   
Last week, Hurricane Ernesto hit Mexico, unleashing rains and winds that caused six deaths. AGENCIES