Child swept out to sea after freak wave crashes into South African restaurant
Several large waves have reportedly crashed on shore killing at least one person and prompting officials to warn those along the coast to take extra precautions and stay out of the water
Watch: Freak wave crashes into South African restaurant sweeping child out to sea
Several people were injured and a child was reportedly swept out to sea after a large wave crashed into a restaurant along the South African coast on Sunday.
SOUTHBROOM, South Africa – Several people were injured, and a child was reportedly swept out to sea in South Africa after a freak wave crashed onshore and flooded a restaurant during an unusually high tide on Sunday.
Dramatic video shared by Jason Livingston showed the moment the rogue wave slammed into the restaurant at Marina Beach, with people scrambling to find a child who was reportedly washed away by the rushing water.
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An image showing a massive wave crashes into a restaurant in South Africa over the weekend.
(Jason Livingstone via Storyful)
Livingston told Storyful that he was watching a rugby game when the wave crashed onshore.
"Patrons were washed around and some injured," he told Storyful. "A child was washed into the sea with the backwash but was rescued by lifeguards."
According to local reports, seven people were injured during the incident and five of them required hospitalization.
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This incident was just one of several that have been reported in South Africa.
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Kevin Speer, Director of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute at Florida State University, talks about the unpredictability of rogue waves.
The TimesLive reports that another restaurant in Kalk Bay was also hit by a large wave causing extensive damage. No injuries were reported there.
And in Leentjiesklip, a 93-year-old woman was killed and another man was injured when a wave crashed into a parking lot.
The TimesLive reports that residents living near the coast have been warned to take extra precautions and to stay out of the water until conditions improve.