Fishing boats capsized along the Peruvian coastline as waves were reported to be as high as four metres. Dozens of ports also had to be closed.
A powerful surge of unusually large waves has struck the coastlines of Ecuador, Chile, and Peru leaving at least three people dead, and dozens of ports in the region have been forced to close, as some reaching heights of up to 4 meters, continue to pummel the shores.
In Ecuador, two people were reportedly killed in the southwestern Manta region. Further south, in Chile, a third death was confirmed as the powerful swells slammed into the coastline.
In Peru, the impact of the swells has been equally severe, with three-quarters of the country’s ports shut down to prevent further damage.
Peru’s Navy said it rescued about 30 fishermen who had been stranded for two days at sea as the giant waves pounded the northern coast. Many of them had struggled to bring their boats back to Acapulco beach in the Tumbes region.
Jaime Yacila, the mayor of the province of Contralmirante Villar, which lies in the Tumbes region 1,200 kilometres north of capital Lima, said some fishermen could not wait any longer to be rescued at sea, which accelerated the operation.
“They (the fisherman) did not want to lose their boats,” Yacila told reporters. Many boats capsized due to the waves, which also forced the closing of several ports in the region, according to authorities.
Defence Minister Walter Astudillo followed rescue operations from a helicopter flying over the affected area.
Officials have attributed the extreme waves to strong and persistent winds blowing off the coast of the United States.
They are expected to subside by Wednesday.
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