Authorities in the eastern state of Veracruz maintained a storm alert and warned of the threat of flooding and landslides in mountainous regions from the heavy rain.

Nate was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles (75 kilometers) per hour and was moving inland at a steady nine miles per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in its 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) advisory.

Bad weather caused by Nate earlier this week forced the evacuation of an oil rig in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and 10 workers were missing.

Further to the east was fast-moving Tropical Storm Maria, which was passing just north of the Virgin Islands packing winds of up to 60 miles per hours (95 kph).

To the north of Nate, the United States was still mopping up from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, which slammed into the Gulf Coast one week ago, dumping torrential rains on a huge swath of the American south, mid-Atlantic region and northeast, where it caused historic flooding.

The accident occurred Saturday on a river in Shaoyang city, Hunan province when the ferry capsized with 50 people, including 41 school students, on board, the China News Service reported.

Eleven people were initially reported killed but searchers Sunday found the body of one person who was missing, it said, adding that the toll could rise further as the boat had not yet been lifted from the river bottom.

Three local officials, including the vice head of Shaoyang county, have been sacked because of the accident, while police have detained for questioning the boat's owners and workers who were dredging the river, Xinhua news agency said.

Officials said the ferry sank after it cut across dredging cables that appeared to then become wrapped around its propeller, Xinhua reported.

The Hunan transportation department said the boat was designed to carry only 14 people, the report said.

Lax regulation and poor enforcement of safety rules on China's waterways make fatal accidents fairly common.