Huge waves are crashing onto the coasts of Ecuador and Peru.
Huge waves of up to 13 feet (4 meters) pounded the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, closing numerous ports and killing at least one person on Saturday, authorities said.
Piers and public squares were submerged in some parts of Peru, and residents were evacuated to higher ground, footage from local media showed.
The waves are being generated off the coast of the United States by winds that follow the surface of the ocean, the Peruvian Navy said.
Authorities said many beaches in the central and northern parts of the country were closed to prevent danger to human life.
Dozens of fishing boats were damaged, and those that survived were still unable to operate in dangerous conditions.
“None of the fishermen can go out to sea,” Juan Ole, 60, told AFP.
On Saturday afternoon, 31 fishermen stranded in the swell were rescued by the navy, but one fisherman told local radio that about 180 more remained at sea.
“We no longer have supplies or water. Our brothers and sisters are effectively adrift,” the man told radio Exixosa.
Neighboring Ecuador’s National Emergency Management Secretariat said the body had been recovered in the coastal city of Manta.
“The Manta Fire Department reported that the body of a missing person was found in the Barbasquillo area at 6 a.m.,” the agency announced on social media.
The huge swells proved deadly and prompted the closure of the port.
Waves reached 13 feet in Peru and nearly 7 feet in Ecuador.
Huge waves were seen crashing on the coast of Vina del Mar in central Chile, prompting authorities to issue a warning.
most ports are closed
Peru has closed 91 of its 121 ports until January 1, the National Emergency Operations Center announced on its social media account X.
In the northern town of Lobitos, video showed a group of people on a pier running toward the shore as huge waves crashed into buildings.
Callao, adjacent to the capital Lima and home to Peru’s largest port, has closed some beaches and banned tourist and fishing boats.
“There is a big problem,” La Cruz Mayor Roberto Carrillo Zavala told AFP after surveying the damage by helicopter with Peru’s Defense Minister Walter Astudillo Chavez.
Huge waves were seen crashing onto the coast of Vina del Mar in central Chile, prompting a warning.
“The people most affected are the fishermen,” Zabala said. “I hope nothing more happens because this will have a huge impact on the economy.”
The waves “are occurring off the coast of the United States, thousands of kilometers from Peru,” Navy Capt. Enrique Valea told Canal N TV.
“They are waves generated by sustained winds on the ocean surface approaching our coasts,” he said.
The phenomenon started on Christmas and will continue until January 1, according to the National Emergency Management Center.
Ecuadorian authorities have announced that “rough” seas are expected until December 29th.
© 2024 AFP
Source: 1 person killed in Ecuador, Peru, ports closed due to large waves (December 29, 2024) From https://phys.org/news/2024-12-dead-ecuador-peru-ports-massive.html 2024 Retrieved December 30th
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