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SOFIA: Bulgarian border guards began evacuating nearly 200 passengers on Tuesday from a cruise ship that ran aground on the Danube because of low water levels.
Europe has been hit by a succession of heatwaves this summer and the Danube, the continent’s second-longest river which flows through 10 countries, has recorded low water levels in recent weeks that have hindered navigation.
The Swiss-flagged Viking Ullur ran aground some 25 kilometres upstream of Vidin in northeastern Bulgaria on Monday night.
For security reasons, the operation was carried out with the help of a border police speedboat and was expected to be completed before Wednesday morning.
