A baby was washed under a house when giant waves struck Oahu’s north shore in Hawaii. As many as 64 people were rescued by lifeguards on Sunday at Waimea Bay, Hawaii News Now reported.
The surf reached upwards of 50 feet as lifeguards and the Honolulu emergency services responded to dozens of calls.
Amid the large waves, “The Eddie” surf contest was organized with around 50,000 people attending the event.
Lifeguards urged attendees to remain vigilant and always keep the ocean in view as more than 10,500 preventative warnings were issued.
Lifeguards responded to a call after a wave pushed a concrete barrier into a 51-year-old woman at about 4pm. She was treated for a possible fracture before being taken to the emergency room.
At about 9.15am, Ocean Safety was called to a home on Ke Iki Road on the north shore of the island after a wave slammed into two adults and a baby.
The child was pushed under the home, but was rescued unharmed. The emergency services said the adults and the baby were evaluated and none was severely injured.
The incident took place after the wave slammed into the home and several vehicles, KHON2 reported. The adults declined emergency room transportation.
Emergency workers also responded to an incident at about 8am when a 14-year-old boy fell around 10 feet (three metres) from a tree as he tried to watch the surfing contest. The boy was unconscious and taken to a hospital for treatment in a serious condition. After an evaluation, the emergency services reported that it seems that he’ll recover fully.
At about 10.30am, Ocean Safety and EMS responded to a call to treat a surfer who had suffered possible broken ribs but rejected transport to a hospital.
Ocean Safety responded to Makua Beach shortly after 3pm after several swimmers were found to be in trouble. They were brought to shore uninjured by lifeguards.
Emergency services also said that a woman, 34, became unconscious after she was thrown off the back of a jet ski.
She was taken back to land on a private jet ski where she received treatment from lifeguards. She was treated and taken to the hospital for treatment in a serious condition by the emergency services.
Officials asked the public to stay off rooftops and walls out of safety concerns.
Around 40 of the best big wave surfers in the world took part in the contest, which last took place in 2016, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The paper reported that Honolulu Ocean Safety in total made 103 rescues and took 12,090 preventative actions.
