The Peruvian Navy is rescuing dozens of fishermen who were stranded at sea as huge waves hit the shore

TUMBES, Peru (AP) – Peru’s military says it has rescued about 30 fishermen who were stranded at sea for two days as huge waves battered the country’s northern coast. Many of them had struggled to return their boats to the shores of Acapulco in the Tumbes region.

Jaime Yacila, the mayor of Contramirante Villar province, in the Tumbes region 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) north of the capital Lima, said on Saturday that some fishermen could no longer wait to be rescued from the sea, which hastened the operation.

“They (fishermen) did not want to lose their boats,” Yacila told reporters. Many boats overturned due to the waves, which also forced the closure of several ports in the region, according to authorities.

Defense Minister Walter Astudillo followed the rescue operations in a helicopter flying over the affected area.