Spring tide-induced ocean waves ravage South African coast; 2 dead, several injured

Big ocean waves caused by a phenomenon known as “spring tide” crashed into coastal parts of South Africa over the weekend, leaving two people dead and injuring several, authorities said Monday.

The weather service said that waves as high as 9.5 meters were recorded, with some damaging seaside buildings and sweeping cars through parking lots.

The South African Weather Service said that 50% of the country’s coastline was hit by the sea surges. Two people died and at least seven were injured, it said.

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One of the two who died was a 93-year-old woman who was injured when water swept through a parking lot in the Wilderness area on the south coast, although the National Sea Rescue Institute said her death might have been from natural causes after she was taken to the hospital.

In various places across the coast, the seas surged on Saturday and Sunday, smashing through railings, across roads and into buildings. In Gordon’s Bay near Cape Town, the water picked up some cars and completely submerged others. Some beaches were closed.

Damage was seen in numerous places from the outskirts of Cape Town in the southwest through the Garden Route vacation area and as far as the eastern coast of the KwaZulu-Natal province, authorities said.

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