Plagued by drought, Italy’s largest river is now so low that a sunken World War II barge is jutting out from the water.
The barge, called the Zibello, transported supplies during the war before it sank to the bottom of the Po River near the village of Gualtieri in 1943, reports Paolo Santalucia of the Associated Press (AP). In the past, the Po’s water levels have dipped low enough to reveal the bow of the ship. But now, as a record-setting drought in Northern Italy continues, much more of the 164-foot-long boat is visible.
“It’s the first time that we can see this barge,” says Raffaele Vezzali, an amateur cyclist who got off his bike to look at the exposed ship, to the Associated Press.
This draught is the worst to hit the Po River in 70 years. Northern Italy hasn’t gotten any rain in over 110 days, and temperatures are 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average, according to the AP. Over the winter, the region also got 70 percent less snowfall than normal. These and other factors mean the Po’s water levels and flow rates are well below average for June, per the Guardian’s Angela Giuffrida. Water is so scarce in some areas that people can walk across the riverbed.
