A 29-year-old horse rider was killed by a “mini tsunami” while on holiday with his girlfriend.
The couple were at the beach with friends when the freak waves hit at around 3pm yesterday (12 Jan).
The sea had been calm before suddenly receding, exposing around 20m of sand, according to reports.
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Unaware that this was a warning sign, bathers carried on as normal – until a series of shockingly violent waves struck.
Talented rider Yair Amir Manno Núñez was among the beachgoers knocked down and swept away by the sheer speed and force of the water.
He was at the mouth of the coastal lagoon at Mar Chiquita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when the current dragged him away.
Pulled from the water, he was taken to A&E in nearby Santa Clara del Mar, but arrived without vital signs.
Preliminary reports suggest he struck his head on rocks, rendering him unconscious and triggering a fatal cardiorespiratory arrest, or drowning.
Yair competed in endurance riding, which is a long-distance equestrian sport against the clock. As of 6 January, he was ranked second in the FEI Endurance Riders World Ranking.
Originally from Mar del Plata, he had lived in southern France for eight years. He and his girlfriend were visiting his family in Argentina when the tragedy occurred.
Friends confirmed he did not know how to swim, as reported by Need To Know.
Geologist Federico Isla told local media: “They thought it was a tsunami, but it wasn’t. It was a ‘virazón’: a sudden change in the wind creates a meteorological tide, making the waves surge abruptly.”
Monday’s virazón left 35 people injured, most with minor bruises and scrapes – but one person was hospitalised after a heart attack.
Witnesses said waves in the greater Mar del Plata area reached over five metres in some spots. Beaches in the area were evacuated as a precaution.
An investigation into Yair’s death is ongoing.
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