Europe's worst drought in years has pushed the mighty river Danube to levels ranking among its lowest in almost a century, exposing the hulks of dozens of explosives-laden German warships sunk during the Second World War near Serbia's river port town of Prahovo.
The vessels were among hundreds scuttled along the Danube by Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet in 1944 as they retreated from advancing Soviet forces, and still hamper river traffic during low water levels.
However, this year's drought — viewed by scientists as a consequence of global warming — has exposed more than 20 hulks on a stretch of the Danube near Prahovo in eastern Serbia, many of which still contain tonnes of ammunition and explosives and pose a danger to shipping.
"The German flotilla has left behind a big ecological disaster that threatens us, people of Prahovo," said Velimir Trajilovic, 74, a pensioner from Prahovo who wrote a book about the German ships.
Workers in the local fishing industry are also at risk, including from Romania which lies just across the river.
Months of drought and record-high temperatures have snarled river traffic on vital arteries in other parts of Europe, including Germany, Italy and France. In Serbia, the authorities have resorted to dredging to keep navigation lanes on the Danube open.
By Prahovo, some of the hulks have narrowed the navigable section on this stretch of the Danube to only 100 metres, from 180 metres.
Strewn across the riverbed, some of the ships still have turrets, command bridges, broken masts and twisted hulls, while others lie mostly submerged under sand banks.
In March, the Serbian government invited a tender for the salvage of the hulks and removal of ammunition and explosives. The cost of the operation was estimated at €29 million ($30 million).
Europe's waterways hit by heatwaves and drought — in pictures
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Dried mud and old trees at Colliford Lake in Cornwall, England, where water levels have severely dropped exposing the unseen trees and rocks in Cornwall's largest lake and reservoir. PA -
A large section of exposed River Rhine riverbed, due to low water levels caused by drought, in Duesseldorf, Germany. Bloomberg -
A boat on a bank of the receding Danube river, after a lengthy drought near the village of Cortanovci, Serbia. AP -
People take a stroll on the river bed of the Waal as water levels dropped because of drought in Nijmegen, Netherlands. AP -
People take photos on the southern tip of Margaret Island, which can be seen due to low water level of the River Danube, in Budapest, Hungary. AP -
The dried-up river Tille in Lux, France. AP -
A bridge, which is usually submerged, over the dried bed of Llwyn-on Reservoir, during a heatwave in Wales. Reuters -
The Rhine river with low water levels in Cologne, Germany. AP -
The Yesa reservoir and the Aragon River are practically without water in Yesa, Navarra, Spain. EPA -
Low water levels at Baitings Reservoir in Ripponden, West Yorkshire, England. Reuters -
Low water levels at the Odra river near Czelin village, north-western Poland. EPA -
Boats on the dried bed of the drought-affected Doubs river on the border with France in Les Brenets, Switzerland. Reuters -
A person sits by a reservoir with low water levels and dried grass at Walthamstow Wetlands in London, England. EPA -
The dried-up River Po that has been affected by the worst drought in 70 years, near Borgo Virgilio, Italy. Reuters
