3 weeks ago

Drying Danube River Exposes WWII Battleships, Prehistoric Fossils

Drying Danube River Exposes WWII Battleships, Prehistoric Fossils
Drying Danube River Exposes Sunken WWII Battleships, Prehistoric Fossils · NDTV

The Danube is one of the biggest rivers in Europe.

This year, it got very hot and there was not much rain.

Because of that, the river became much smaller than usual.

When the water went down, people could see things that had been hidden under the water for a very long time.

They saw old ships from World War II, a big war that happened long ago.

In 1944, soldiers who were retreating sank their own ships on purpose to stop their enemies from moving up the river.

Some of these old ships still have dangerous bombs and bullets inside, so people must be careful.

In Bulgaria, someone also found bones of a mammoth, a giant animal that lived thousands of years ago.

Scientists want to study the bones to find out exactly how old they are.

Finding old hidden things in the river is exciting and important for science.

Key facts

River
Danube River
Water levels
Lowest since 1996
Visible WWII wrecks
At least 20
Wreck location
Near Serbian port of Prahovo
Year ships sank
1944
Reason for sinking
German commanders blocking river route from advancing Soviet forces
Safety hazard
Tonnes of live ammunition and unexploded artillery shells
Mammoth remains
Lower jaw, two tusks, possibly a rib, found in Ryahovo village, northern Bulgaria

Quotes

Ivica Gavrilovic

Resident of Ryahovo village near the Danube

“I would not call it a sensation, but any discovery of such ancient remains is very important for science.”
NDTV
“People still don't know how to access the ships themselves.”
NDTV

Sources

Related news