Serbia's stretch of the Danube river fell to its lowest level ever recorded on Friday (August 14), revealing shipwrecks from World War 2, as severe drought and heatwaves affected Europe's second-longest river.

Jelena Jerinic, head of the Hydrological Forecasts Division at Serbia's Republic Hydrometeorological Service, said the river's discharge into the Djerdap Hydropower Plant had dropped to just 1,250 cubic metres per second on Friday, breaking previous records.

The very low water level left boats stuck on the ground, uncovered old warship wrecks, and raised alarm over the fate of aquatic life.

At the marina in Novi Sad, boats were stuck on the dry riverbed, and barges were sitting still on the sand.

The water temperature in Serbia was around 28 degrees Celsius, the highest it has ever been, according to Jerinic.

She warned that the ecosystem of the river is in danger because bacteria grow faster and there is less oxygen when the water is hot and the level is low.

Near Prahovo in eastern Serbia, the low water level unveiled the wrecks of German warships from World War 2 that were submerged for many years.

Local fisherman Zoran Lovric said the wrecks had "never been visible like this" and called the situation "utterly unprecedented."

The ships were under the Danube for more than eighty years. Now, they have become a surprise attraction, attracting visitors from across Europe to see them.

"What has surfaced here, wow! It is simply beyond words," said a visitor, Goran Klecovljevic, as others climbed onto the wreck and peered into the ancient warships.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Record-low flow in Danube river reveals World War II shipwreck in Serbia, as drought hits

VIDEO SHOWS: DRONE VIEWS OF MARINA WITH BOATS ON DRY EARTH, EXPOSED RIVERBED / SOUNDBITES FROM HYDROLOGIST JELENA JERINIC ON RECORD LOW DANUBE LEVELS / PEOPLE SUNBATHING ON RIVERBANK / PRAHOVO SHIPWRECKS, VISITORS BOARDING / DRONE SUNSET VIEWS OF WRECKS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: NOVI SAD, SERBIA (AUGUST 12, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF NOVI SAD MARINA AND BOATS ON DRY RIVERBED

2. (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF EXPOSED SAND RIVERBED

3. (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF STATIONARY BARGES

4. VARIOUS OF BOATS IN MARINA ON RIVERBED AS WATER RECEDED

BELGRADE, SERBIA (AUGUST 14, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. HEAD OF THE HYDROLOGICAL FORECASTS DIVISION AT THE REPUBLIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL SERVICE, JELENA JERINIC LISTENING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) HEAD OF THE HYDROLOGICAL FORECASTS DIVISION AT THE REPUBLIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL SERVICE, JELENA JERINIC, SAYING:

"A record has been broken regarding the Danube's discharge. The inflow into the Djerdap Hydropower Plant stands at 1,250 cubic metres per second and is currently showing a stagnating trend. We hope this represents the minimum, given that rain is forecast for upstream stretches, which should help the situation improve."

NOVI SAD, SERBIA (AUGUST 12, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. VARIOUS OF BOATS IN MARINA ON SCORCHED RIVERBED

BELGRADE, SERBIA (AUGUST 14, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) HEAD OF THE HYDROLOGICAL FORECASTS DIVISION AT THE REPUBLIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL SERVICE, JELENA JERINIC, SAYING:

"The impact of drought on health is often overlooked. Low water levels combined with elevated water temperatures create a hazardous environment. This year, water temperatures have consistently exceeded historical averages for months. Currently hovering around 28 degrees Celsius, these high temperatures, alongside low water volume, accelerate the proliferation of microorganisms and bacteria while depleting dissolved oxygen levels. Consequently, all aquatic flora and fauna are severely threatened."

NOVI SAD, SERBIA (AUGUST 12, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

9. VARIOUS OF BEACH ON DANUBE RIVERBANK, PEOPLE SUNBATHING

PRAHOVO, SERBIA (AUGUST 13, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

10. (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF WORLD WAR TWO SHIP WRECKS ON SAND ISLAND IN DANUBE RIVER

11. (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF WRECK DETAILS, INCLUDING BOW, STERN AND ENGINE

12. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ON BOAT SAILING TOWARDS WRECKS

13. PEOPLE DISEMBARKING BOAT AND WALKING ON ISLAND WITH SHIPWRECKS

14. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON SHIPWRECK

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) VISITOR, GORAN KLECOVLJEVIC, SAYING:

"I am absolutely staggered - and what has surfaced here, wow! It is simply beyond words."

16. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) VISITOR, LJUBISA KARALIC, SAYING:

"We saw the exact same thing when we were passing through Hungary, it's the same story everywhere. Water levels are low across the board. Something is definitely shifting, whether it's climate change or something else, and we're likely going to see more and more of this in the future."

17. VARIOUS OF LOCAL FISHERMAN DRESSED AS PIRATE, ZORAN LOVRIC, DRIVING BOAT

18. ISLAND WITH SHIPWRECK SEEN FROM MOVING BOAT

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) LOCAL FISHERMAN, ZORAN LOVRIC, SAYING:

"This has literally never happened before, these wrecks we're heading towards right now have never been visible like this. They've always been completely submerged; what we're seeing now is utterly unprecedented."

20. LOVRIC DRIVING BOAT

21. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) LOCAL FISHERMAN, ZORAN LOVRIC, SAYING:

"People are flocking here. Even I wear this cap from Bulgaria, and there are also people coming from the Netherlands, from Belgium, and even our diaspora comes here just to catch a glimpse of this."

22. (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF SUNSET AND WRECKS