Ecuadorian risk management minister Jorge Carillo told a news conference that an “extreme event” was occurring and warned that similar high-wave events could happen in the future.
He said “unfortunately, we have recorded two deaths” in the Manta region of Ecuador’s southwest.
Strong waves hit the boat in the El Nuro area of Peru on December 27, 2024, in this photo taken from a video on social networks
In addition, the Chilean Navy said a death was recorded in the country after a 30-year-old man was found dead on the beach.
In Peru, almost all ports have been closed due to continuous wave attacks, Naval Oceanography Director Enrique Varea told Canal N television.
Mr. Varea predicted that big waves “will continue in the coming days”, but will calm down somewhat from December 30 and return to more normal in the first days of January 2025.
Images posted by Peruvian media showed piers and public squares flooded in some areas, forcing people to flee to higher ground.
Many beaches along Peru’s central and northern regions have been closed to prevent threats to human life, according to officials.
Many fishing boats were damaged, while those that were saved were still unable to operate in dangerous conditions. “We need the government’s support. Here, we lost about 100 boats,” a fisherman told Peruvian TV. This fisherman added: “I am 70 years old and have never seen such strong and unusual waves.”
Thirty-one fishermen trapped in large waves were rescued by the Peruvian Navy on the afternoon of December 28, while one fisherman told the radio station that about 180 others were still at sea.
The above phenomenon of unusually high waves began on Christmas and will last until January 1, 2025, according to Peru’s National Emergency Operations Center.
