Like a tsunami
Giant waves destroy boats in Peru and Ecuador
Unusually high, tsunami-like waves are currently causing massive damage on the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. Around 100 boats have been destroyed by the masses of water and at least two people have died so far. The waves are expected to continue until New Year's Day.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen Footage from Piura (video above), a city in the northern Andean state of Peru, shows the waves, which are up to four meters high, sweeping fishing boats along like toys and causing them to capsize.
The authorities closed 91 ports on the coast of Peru, as the head of the navy's oceanographic department, Enrique Varea, told the TV news channel Canal N. Around 100 boats have been destroyed or sunk so far, and 180 fishermen are still stranded at sea in their boats.
Fishermen: "Never seen such strong waves"
"We need the help of the authorities. We have lost about 100 boats here," a fisherman told TV Peru. "I am 70 years old and have never seen such unusual and strong waves," the man explained. 31 fishermen who were stranded in the waves were rescued by the navy on Saturday afternoon.
According to the Peruvian navy, the waves are generated by winds on the surface of the sea. Many beaches in the center and north of the country have been closed to avoid endangering human lives, according to the authorities. They blame climate change for the unusually strong waves.
"Climate change the cause of abnormal waves"
The weather phenomenon is expected to continue until New Year's Day. "Climate change is the reason for these kinds of abnormal waves," the head of the civil defense unit in the Peruvian region of Callao, Larry Linch, told the AFP news agency.
Large waves were also seen on the central Chilean coast in Viña del Mar, prompting warnings from the country's authorities. According to Peru's National Civil Protection Center, the weather phenomenon began at Christmas and will continue at least until New Year's Day.
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