Romanian naval forces blew up part of the drought-hit Danube river to channel water towards a nuclear plant. The Danube has fallen to record lows after successive European heatwaves, wreaking havoc on both Romanian and Hungarian reactors that rely on the river for coolant.
At Hungary’s Paks plant, responsible for half of the country’s power generation, capacity has been reduced to just 10% of normal output, underscoring the scale of the crisis. With little rain forecast, countries across Central and Eastern Europe are turning to expensive imports as power demand rises. The Danube’s drop has cheered history buffs, at least: Shipwrecks, unexploded bombs, and the remains of a woolly mammoth have all emerged from the shallow waters.