Laura swirls toward US Gulf Coast as category 2 hurricane

Laura has strengthened into a category 2 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, rapidly intensifying as it barrels towards the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday.

Laura, located about 610km southeast of Galveston, Texas, is packing maximum sustained winds of 165km/h, the NHC said, adding it is likely to be a major hurricane at landfall and weaken rapidly thereafter.