EUROPE: Low water levels in the Danube revealing Nazi shipwrecks

The Danube flows through ten countries, including Germany and Austria – Image: Djordje Kojadinovic/REUTERS

There are believed to be about 200 Nazi ships on the floor of the Danube near Prahovo, Serbia. Ferries, tourist boats, and shipping have also become severely restricted due to the drought.

Europe’s second-longest river, the Danube, has reached levels so low that sunken German battleships from World War II have emerged from the dried-out riverbed.

The Nazis sunk hundreds of ships in the Danube to ward off a Soviet advance in 1944 – Image: Darko Vojinovic/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance

Near Prahovo, a Serbian port where the Danube separates the country from Romania, a rusty hull and broken mast has become visible where the Nazis once purposely sunk their own ship to avoid capture by the Russians.

The Serbian government has long sought help from the European Union to remove what are believed to be hundreds of ships, some still laden with weapons, from the river floor. But pinpointing their exact locations without accidentally disturbing the explosives still onboard has been an issue.

Both the Rhine and the Danube have seen World War II-era ships appear due to low water levels – Image: Djordje Kojadinovic/REUTERS

Low water levels in the Danube have pushed some power plants in parts of Central and Eastern Europe to the brink of shutting down.

Ferries, tourism boats, and shipping on both the Danube and the Rhine river have been drastically reduced in recent weeks due to the drought.

In recent years, climate change has made lower water levels in Europe’s key waterways a recurring issue.

DW.com/NAN 06-08-26

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