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Drought reveals WWII battleships in Danube River's record low waters
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Water levels on the Danube River have dropped to record lows due to drought, revealing the remains of dozens of World War II German battleships near Prahovo, Serbia.
- These ships, part of Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet, were deliberately sunk in September 1944 to slow the Soviet advance during the war.
- The low water levels are causing significant disruptions to river traffic and threatening power plant operations across Central and Eastern Europe, prompting governments to implement electricity conservation measures.
- The Serbian government, supported by the European Union, has long attempted to remove these hazardous sunken ships, many of which still contain explosives, but most remain due to safety concerns.
- Experts attribute the Danube’s unusually low water levels to global warming and other environmental factors, exacerbating challenges for navigation and energy production in the region.
