A giant killer wave washed away tourists and sunbeds on a beach in Brazil. Video

Tourists vacationing on Leblon beach in Brazil were covered by a huge wave. A powerful stream of water washed away not only people, but also sunbeds and umbrellas.

On the day of the incident, a storm swept over the Atlantic Ocean, causing bad weather near Rio de Janeiro, The Sun reports. A giant wave, more than three meters high, caught vacationers by surprise. The footage of the devastating natural disaster was posted by one of the users X.

Such phenomena on the coasts are called "sneaker wave" or "killer waves". They are caused by powerful storms that can occur hundreds of kilometers from the beach.

"Sneaker waves are potentially deadly waves that rise above land level much higher than expected," said the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "Small waves can appear for 10-20 minutes before a killer wave hits. It can easily carry vacationers into the ocean."

The published video shows that the tourists were sunbathing on the beach, not expecting the insidious natural phenomenon. A powerful stream of water demolished everything in its path.

Mikel Gili, a representative of the Aemet meteorological agency, explained that the incident was caused by a sharp change in atmospheric pressure: "Pressure fluctuations affect sea levels. When the pressure rises, the water in the sea falls; if the pressure falls, the sea rises."

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