Three Die in Single Day on East Coast: The 'Uninvited Guest' Swallowing Beaches

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Even on clear, windless days, an uninvited guest can suddenly swallow up the beach. This is known as a "swell" or "swell wave." Recently, three people lost their lives in a single day after being swept away by these waves on the east coast.

Report by Cho Jae-geun.

[Reporter]

Early in the morning, three people are seen walking along the beach, taking photos.

A moment later, one person suddenly falls into the water, and another is dragged into the sea shortly after.

Although the Coast Guard and emergency services rescued both, one person ultimately passed away.

Nine hours later, at a beach just 4 km away, a person in their 40s enjoying kayaking was swept away by a swell. An hour and 30 minutes after that, another tourist was swept away and died at a nearby beach.

In just one day, three people lost their lives to swell waves.

Swells are generated when low-pressure systems pass through the open sea, and they can reach the shore even on clear, windless days.

While ordinary waves have short periods, swells have long periods of 8 seconds or more and wavelengths reaching 100 to 200 meters, meaning they carry significantly more energy than ordinary waves of the same height.

[Kim In-ho / Professor, Department of Earth Environmental System Sciences, Kangwon National University: Ordinary waves are affected by the seabed topography, which reduces their energy. However, long-period waves (swells) hit the coast directly without any energy loss, causing their energy to increase tremendously.]

When swells reach the shore, multiple waves can overlap, causing the wave height to increase even further. In particular, many parts of the east coast have water that suddenly becomes deep, making it difficult to escape once someone is swept away.

[Lee Byung-ju / Officer, Donghae Regional Coast Guard: Even rescue divers can find it difficult to swim in swell waves without equipment. Since the body lacks buoyancy, it is challenging, so we urge tourists to always wear life jackets...]

Most beaches on the east coast of Gangwon Province do not have safety personnel stationed until they officially open next month, requiring extra caution.

Reported by Kim Dae-cheol | Graphics by Lee Jong-jung
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.