Mexico deploys special mission as Hurricane Vance nears Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican government said Sunday it is deploying a liaison and coordination mission to several Pacific coast states as Category 1 Hurricane Vance, on the five-category Saffir-Simpson wind scale, approaches the country's western coast.

The National Coordination of Civil Protection said the storm is expected to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and high waves to the western Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

"People who live or travel near riverbanks, streams or watercourses must constantly monitor their surroundings and evacuate immediately to higher ground at the first sign of rising water," the agency warned in a statement.

At 9 a.m. local time (1500 GMT), Hurricane Vance was located about 440 km southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan and 510 km southwest of the resort city of Acapulco in Guerrero, according to the latest report from Mexican authorities.

The storm is moving northwest at 7 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gusts of 150 kph, and is expected to bring rain of 50 to 75 millimeters in the four affected states, it said.

The rainfall could also trigger landslides, cause rivers and stream levels to rise, and lead to overflowing waterways and flooding in low-lying areas, the report added.