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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A man drowned when an unusually large wave hit a Durban beach in South Africa, emergency services said Saturday.
Another 40 swimmers were treated for minor injuries when the big wave hit the popular Wedge Beach on the north coast of Durban, a city on the east coast of South Africa, according to spokesman Robert McKenzie.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, who McKenzie believed was in his mid-40s. The man died on the scene on the afternoon of Dec. 26. None of the injured was hospitalized.
"Sadly, one person died despite paramedics from a private ambulance service attempting to resuscitate him," said McKenzie.
Eyewitnesses described the wave as a "large, freak wave" that "pummeled" the popular beach, McKenzie said. The spokesman said he believed it may have been caused by high tides experienced around the country's coasts.
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