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France 24
France 24
Politics
FRANCE 24

In pictures: Drought exposes Word War II ships, strands boats as Europe’s river levels plunge

A man walks on the sandbank by the wreckage of a WWII German warship, emerged due to the drought, in front of Djerdap II, a large dam on the Danube River, between Romania and Serbia.
A man walks on a sandbank near wreckage of a German WWII warship which was exposed due to drought impacts on the Danube River in Serbia, August 4, 2026. © Darko Vojinovic, AP

Water levels on the Danube River, the second longest in Europe, have dropped so low due to drought and extreme heat over the summer that the hulls of dozens of German warships from World War II are emerging into view and the remains of an ancient mammoth were uncovered in Romania. In Germany, fishing boats have been stuck near the banks of the Rhine, and sections of France's Loire riverbed are partially dry.

This handout photograph taken by Teodor Mechev and released on July 30, 2026, shows scientists examining remains of an ancient mammoth near the village of Ryahovo, south of Bucharest.
Scientists from Rousse's Regional Historical Museum examine the remains of an ancient mammoth as historically low water levels on the Danube River exposed parts of the riverbed near the village of Ryahovo, south of Bucharest, on July 30, 2026. © AFP
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