LIMA, Dec 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Massive waves up to four meters (13 feet) high are pummeling the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, leaving scores of ports closed and at least one person dead on Saturday, authorities said.

Jetties and public squares were submerged in some parts of Peru, sending residents fleeing to higher ground, according to images on local media.

The waves, according to the Peruvian navy, are being generated off the US coast by winds along the ocean's surface.

Many beaches along the central and northern stretches of the country were closed to prevent risk to human life, local authorities said.

Dozens of fishing boats were damaged, while those that were spared were still unable to go out to sea due to restrictions keeping ships in port.

In neighboring Ecuador, the National Secretariat for Risk Management said a body was recovered in the coastal city of Manta.

"The Manta Fire Department reported that, at 6:00 am, the body of a missing person was found lifeless in the Barbasquillo sector," the agency announced on social media.

Waves were hitting four meters in Peru and 2.1 meters in Ecuador.

Huge waves were also seen crashing into the central Chilean coast in Vina del mar, sparking warnings from authorities.

- Nearly 100 ports closed -

Peru closed 91 of its 121 ports until January 1, the National Emergency Operations Center said on its X social media account.

In Lobitos, in the north of the country, video showed a group of people on a pier running toward the shore as huge waves slammed into the structure.

Callao, which sits adjacent to the capital Lima and is home to Peru's largest port, has closed several beaches and barred tourist and fishing boats from venturing out.

"There is a major problem," La Cruz district mayor Roberto Carrillo Zavala told AFP after surveying damage via helicopter with Peru's Minister of Defense Walter Astudillo Chavez.

"The most affected have been the fishermen," Zavala said. "We hope nothing more happens, as this would significantly impact the economy."

The waves "are being generated thousands of kilometers away from Peru, off the coast of the United States," navy Captain Enrique Varea told Channel N television.

"They are waves generated by a persistent wind on the surface of the ocean that is approaching our coasts," he said.

The phenomenon began on Christmas and will last until January 1, according to Peru's National Emergency Operations Center.