Gert strengthens, expected to pass near Bermuda later Monday:NHC

(Reuters) - The Tropical Storm Gert strengthened as it moved northwards at about 14 mph (22 km/h) and is expected to pass near Bermuda later Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

"The center of Gert will pass near or east of Bermuda later today," the NHC said. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts and some additional strengthening expected during the next day or so.

At 5 a.m. AST (4 a.m. EDT) the tropical storm was about 105 miles southeast of Bermuda, the NHC said.

(Reporting by Naveed Anjum in Bangalore)