Broken ice caused 'tsunami' in Peru

The waves as high as 23 m attacked a city in Peru after a giant block of ice fell into the lake.

Many glaciers are melting because of global warming.Photo: treehugger.com.

Sky News reported that the ice block separated from Hualcan Glacier and fell into Lake 513 near Carhuaz, Ancash, Peru on April 11. The city is about 320 km north of the capital Lima. According to investigators, the block of ice is equivalent to 4 football fields.

The Institute of Civil Protection Peru (INDECI) said the "tsunami" destroyed 50 houses in the city of Carhuaz. A water treatment plant that serves 60,000 local people is also badly damaged.

Patricio Vaderrama, a glacier expert in Peru, said: "The tsunami overflows dams with a height of 23 m around the lake. That means waves also have a height of at least 23 m."

Initially officials announced 6 missing people. People worry that they are dead and buried under rubble. Ancash regional governor, Cesar Alvarez later, said five people were found alive. Local authorities evacuated people in valleys near the mountain because of concern that the ice would continue to break after the tsunami.

Earthquakes have been the main cause of tsunamis. Governor Alvarez said that Hualcan glacier broke due to climate change.

70% of tropical glaciers in the world are concentrated in Peru. A World Bank report in 2009 found that glaciers in the Andes in South America and the mountains covered by snow could disappear in 20 years if climate change is not prevented. . The report confirms that the area of ​​glaciers in Peru has decreased by 22% in the past 35 years.

This is not the first time that Peruvian people have suffered from a catastrophic disaster. In 1970 an earthquake caused ice, rock and mud on Mount Huascaran to plunge into Yungay City, killing more than 20,000 people. Huascaran is the highest mountain in Peru.