Low water level in Danube exposes warships with dangerous ammunition
Created: 08/22/2022, 04:51
By: Nadja Zinsmeister
Drought and drought have drastically reduced the water level in the Danube.
So deep that in some places old war wrecks come to light and pose a danger.
Prahovo - The severe drought and the associated low water levels in numerous rivers and lakes are currently causing major problems in many countries.
Among other things, Lake Garda in Italy has reached a new negative record in terms of level.
The Danube is now also causing concern: in parts of Serbia, old warships that still have ammunition and explosives on board and thus pose a danger to shipping have appeared due to the little water.
As
Der Spiegel
reports, citing the Reuters news agency, the wrecks hadn't bothered anyone for decades.
However, now that the water level of the Danube is extremely low, the former German warships have been uncovered and sticking out of the water.
One of the affected areas is in eastern Serbia near Prahovo.
Ships are said to have originally had a range of 180 meters on the Danube for their journeys, but due to the wrecks on the water surface it is now only around 100 meters.
Such a wreck of a German warship is also visible in the Danube in north-western Hungary.
© Csaba Krizsan/MTI/AP/dpa
Dangerous wrecks in the Danube: Nazis sank ships during war retreat
The ships date from 1944, when Soviet troops pushed out the Nazi Black Sea Fleet and forced them to retreat.
They then sank hundreds of their ships in the Danube - along with ammunition and explosives.
In addition to the wrecks, this freight is now another major problem and, above all, a danger for passing ships. A Serbian author from Prahovo can be seen in video scenes from Reuters, who describes the current situation as "threatening" for the residents .
"The Germans left behind a major ecological catastrophe," he continues.
The Serbian government has been trying to deal with the problem since March.
However, the salvage is expensive: the cost of salvaging the ships, including dangerous cargo, is estimated at around 29 million euros.
Another river that is currently causing great concern is the Oder.
Thousands of dead fish float on the surface there.
Poland and Germany are looking for the cause.
(
nz
)
