The water level of the Yangtze River is dropping, revealing an island in the area of Chongqing, Southwest China. On this island, there are three Buddhist statues believed to be 600 years old.
The authorities have identified that the three statues were built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. One of the statues depicts a monk sitting on a lotus pedestal.
The water level in the Yangtze River is rapidly decreasing due to drought and a heatwave affecting the southwestern region of China.
Three Buddhist statues believed to date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties – (Photo: REUTERS)
The severe heatwave in the basin of China’s longest river has now lasted over two months, disrupting hydropower generation and drying up a large area of farmland.
Approximately 820,000 hectares of farmland from Sichuan to Anhui have been affected, impacting 830,000 people as well as 160,000 livestock, primarily in areas reliant on small reservoirs or mountain streams for irrigation.
Rainfall in the Yangtze River basin has been about 45% lower than normal since July, and high temperatures are expected to persist for at least another week.
CCTV reported that up to 66 rivers in 34 districts of Chongqing have dried up.
The prolonged drought across Europe has also revealed long-submerged treasures.
In Spain, archaeologists were thrilled to discover a prehistoric stone slab area at a drained dam. Scientists have dubbed this site the Spanish Stonehenge, similar to the Stonehenge in England.
The drought has also caused the water level of the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe, to drop, exposing dozens of sunken Nazi warships from World War II.
Hundreds of ships from a Nazi fleet were sunk along the Danube River in 1944 while retreating to avoid attacks from the Soviet Red Army.
According to Reuters, many of the wrecks still contain weapons, ammunition, and explosives, posing a threat to passing vessels.
In addition to containing unexploded materials, some ships still have intact command towers and other structures that could damage fishing boats or vessels as water levels drop.
