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Likely Meteotsunami Strikes Buenos Aires Beaches, Killing One and Injuring Dozens

Officials say the rare, atmosphere-driven sea-level jump could not be reliably forecast.

Overview

  • Authorities confirm one death and about 35 injuries after a sudden surge hit crowded beaches on Jan. 12 in Santa Clara del Mar, Mar Chiquita, Camet and Mar del Plata.
  • The victim was identified in reports as Yair Amir Manno Núñez, 29, an Argentine who had been living in France, who died after being hurled against rocks.
  • Experts from the Servicio de Hidrografía Naval and other specialists describe the event as consistent with a meteotsunami and say formal analysis is underway.
  • Multiple videos show the sea retreating and then returning within seconds as a wall of water of up to roughly five meters; a TV program in Mar del Plata captured the moment live.
  • Beaches were evacuated, lifeguards pulled several people from the water, and officials reported one person hospitalized after a syncope event who is now considered out of danger.