Drought on the Danube exposes WWII German warships in Serbia
Why it matters: Record-low water has also disrupted river traffic and pushed regional power plants toward possible shutdowns.
Record-low water on the Danube has exposed dozens of sunken World War II German warships near Prahovo, Serbia, after drought and extreme heat drove the river down. The vessels were part of Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet and were deliberately scuttled in September 1944 as Soviet forces advanced through the Balkans, historians say. Some wrecks still contain explosives, complicating long-running removal efforts backed by the European Union. The low water has also narrowed navigation on the Danube, slowing or halting larger ships near the Serbia-Romania stretch and adding pressure on governments across Central and Eastern Europe to conserve electricity as power plants face reduced river capacity.