An unusually severe drought has exposed the wreckage of German World War II vessels in the Danube River near the Serbian town of Prahovo, after prolonged heat and low water levels caused the river to recede dramatically.

The newly exposed remains are believed to be part of roughly 200 German warships and support vessels deliberately scuttled in 1944 as Nazi forces retreated from the advancing Soviet Red Army. The vessels were sunk both to prevent their capture and to block navigation along the Danube.

Authorities warn that some of the ships may still contain unexploded ammunition, making recovery operations dangerous and technically challenging.

Serbian officials say the submerged wrecks continue to pose a hazard to river traffic, with the exceptionally low water levels bringing more of the decades-old vessels into view.

The Danube has experienced repeated periods of historically low water in recent years, with extreme heat and drought exposing long-hidden wartime relics across parts of Eastern Europe.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)