Tsunami-Like Waves Close Peru’s Ports
Tsunami-like waves battered the western coast of South America at the weekend, with the swells leading to the closure of 91 Peruvian ports.
Coastal areas throughout Peru, Chile and Ecuador felt the force of the sea, where waves of up to 13 feet high were witnessed. The extreme weather phenomenon continued through to the new year, sinking boats and causing the loss of a handful of lives.
The northern coasts of Peru has been the worst affected by the waves, which have flooded streets, stranded fisherman and resulted in bans on ‘going out to sea’.
The waves followed a major incident from the day before, when Peru declared an environmental emergency after a state owned firm spilled a crude oil shipment into waters near a terminal in northern Peru.
While it remains unclear how much crude was actually spilled, a preliminary report suggests that around 10,000 square meters of surface seawater has been affected.
Social media images of waves in Peru:
