Drought in Italy reveals ship sunk in World War II

Historic drought in Italy has affected the country's largest river, bringing World War II-era shipwreck to light.

According to the article published on the American news site Business Insider, the Po River, which flows from the Cottian Alps to the Adriatic Sea, is facing the worst drought in the last 70 years. This, in turn, caused a decades-old sunken ship to reappear, TRT Haber reports.

According to the Associated Press, Zibello, a 48.8-foot barge carrying wood in WWII and sank in 1943, was often hidden under the waters of the Po. Now the water level of the river is so low that the wreckage is visible to the bystanders.

"This is the first time we've seen this barge," amateur cyclist Raffaele Vezzali told the AP from a park near the village of Gualtieri.

Drought in Italy reveals ship sunk in World War II

“Our main concern was our river flooding, now we are worried about its disappearance”

Photographing the ship's remains with a drone, Alessio told The Guardian it was an astonishing sight.

"In recent years you could see the bow of the boat, so we knew it was there, but it was very dramatic to see the ship this much open in March, when it was actually still winter," said Bonin. "I have never seen such a drought at this time of year . Our main concern was our river flooding, now we are worried it will disappear."

A number of factors caused by climate change trigger drought. Northern Italy has not seen rain in more than 110 days, the AP said. He said snowfall has dropped 70 percent this year, and above-average temperatures are melting snow and glaciers in the Alps and drying up the summer water reservoirs of the Po basin.

Meuccio Berselli, secretary-general of the Po River Basin Authority, told the AP that river flow in a riverside village called Boretto typically measures 476,000 gallons per second. Now only 80,000 gallons per second are measured.

The AP reported that the drought threatened drinking water supplies, irrigation for agriculture in Italy's most heavily farmed region, and hydroelectric power plants for power generation.