Severe drought and high temperatures have sent the Danube River's water level in eastern Serbia plunging, resurfacing the wreckage of Nazi German warships that sank during World War II.
In normal years, the Danube River section in eastern Serbia would be flowing with abundant waters. However, persistent high temperatures and drought have reduced the river to bare sandbars, exposing several German warships from World War II that had remained submerged for decades.
In September 1944, as the Soviet Red Army advanced into the Balkans, retreating German forces scuttled the vessels to block the Soviet advance. An estimated 200 German warships sank near Prahovo. Some wrecks were removed after the war, but others remained at the riverbed as they were laden with explosives. With water levels now plummeting, more of those sunken ships have resurfaced.
"The current water level is 130 centimeters below zero. In some situations, it was even over 700 centimeters in plus. This is the lowest water level on the Danube that I can remember. So, all of those [ships] came to the surface," said Srdjan, a local resident.
Receding Danube water levels reveal sunken WWII warships
Receding Danube water levels reveal sunken WWII warships
