VIDEO SHOWS: MAYFLIES SWARMING AROUND STREET LIGHT / PARLIAMENT BUILDING IN DARKNESS IN BACKGROUND / SOUNDBITES FROM TOURISTS AND LOCALS

STORY: Hungary is switching off decorative and non-essential lighting at all state institutions at night as record-low water levels on the Danube force the country to largely shut down its sole nuclear plant, which uses the river for cooling, stretching power supply capacity to its limits. Hungarian companies and households cut power consumption this week after a government appeal to ease pressure on the grid. The capital Budapest is braced for the peak of the heatwave on Wednesday (August 5) and Thursday (August 6), with temperatures of 40 C to 42 C (104 F to 108 F) expected. "I think this is a minimum, a minimum reaction to this whole current situation. I absolutely approve of this and agree with it," resident Peter Hajmasi said on Wednesday (August 5). The low river levels are also causing mayflies to swarm in greater numbers than usual, filling the air along the riverbanks as they are drawn to city lights. Hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of mayflies engage in a frantic rush to mate and reproduce before they perish within just a few hours. Mayflies live for less than a day after they hatch, and their abundance is closely connected to the health of the Danube. (Production: Krisztina Fenyo. Camera: Bence Szij-Pethes. Editing and writing: Krisztina Fenyo and Bernat Parera)

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (AUGUST 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF VIEWS OF DANUBE AND PARLIAMENT THE LIGHTS OFF AT DUSK

2. TOURISTS LOOKING AT VIEW FROM FISHERMEN BASTION

3. PARLIAMENT WITHOUT LIGHTS

4. VIEW OF DANUBE AND BRIDGES WITHOUT LIGHTS

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (AUGUST 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

5. VARIOUS OF MAYFLIES FLYING AROUND LIGHTS

6. MAN CYCLING OUT OF TUNNEL FULL OF MAYFLIES

7. MAYFLIES ON WALL

8. MAYFLIES FLYING AROUND LIGHTS

9. VARIOUS OF DARK PARLIAMENT ACROSS DANUBE

10. EMBANKMENT WITH MAYFLIES FLYING ROUND STREET LIGHT / PARLIAMENT IN DARK IN BACKGROUND

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (AUGUST 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

11.TOURISTS WALKING IN STREET ACROSS FROM PARLIAMENT

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN TOURIST, SILKE SCHNEIDERS SAYING:

"I'm very disappointed because I come to Budapest maybe once in a lifetime, and I climbed up the hill yesterday and I was waiting for the building to be lit. But it wasn't going to happen. And I was so disappointed. And I checked on the internet. I asked artificial intelligence why the building was not lit up. And it said that it was because of an energy shortage due to the hot weather. But it was really frustrating. I was annoyed. I'm honest. And I was so disappointed. And I was going on a river cruise as well by night. And all the lights and the bridge were pitch black.”

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) LOCAL, PETER HAJMASI, SAYING:

"I think this is a minimum, a minimum reaction to this whole current situation. I absolutely approve of this and agree with it."

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST, BENJAMIN THOMAS TUCKER, SAYING:

"Obviously, it sucks, but I can appreciate and be grateful for what I have here. So, like, not the biggest deal. But if I was coming here specifically to see the city lit up at night, that would suck. You know what I mean? I don't know the nuances. So let's say that there's actually a good reason for why the city is proposing, and there's evidence for that. Then, you know, a righteous reason triumphs over, you know, just enjoyment of city lights on.”

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) LOCAL, ANDREA VIKTORIA ORBAN, SAYING:

"I think this is a very good thing in the current situation. This is a very responsible decision and exemplary. I think so."

16. PEOPLE WALKING ON EMBANKMENT