CAPE TOWN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Unusual huge waves combined with violent winds hit the southern and southeastern coastal areas of South Africa over the weekend, causing at least one death, several injuries and extensive damage, local media reported on Monday.
According to reports, an elderly woman was killed and a man sustained injuries during the spring tide which began on Saturday, and battered restaurants, houses and cars along the coast in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of the country.
"Our understanding is that she was swept off her feet by a wave that penetrated the car park, and she sadly passed away in what appears to be a weather-related incident," Craig Lambinon, spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute, was quoted as saying.
"A man was also injured, and he was transported to hospital," he added. "There has been quite widespread damage across the coastline."
Pictures and videos of high waves washing away parked cars across Gordon's Bay, outside the legislative capital of Cape Town, or causing destruction to seaside restaurants, have gone viral on social networks since Saturday.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, at least seven people were injured on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal province after a huge wave crashed into a beach restaurant filled with customers on Sunday afternoon, reported local media.
The National Meteorological Institute of South Africa has issued a warning for the country's 3,000-km coastline. Emergency services have called for caution, and several beaches in the region have been closed. ■