Record low Danube levels prompt central European governments to take emergency action

A drought gripping central Europe has seen record-low water levels in the Danube River, forcing governments across the region to take drastic action to prevent a looming energy crisis.

In Romania, where the Danube's water flow has reportedly dropped to 1,500 cubic meters per second, the country's navy has carried out a controlled explosion to clear rock near the river's Bala Canal in an effort to maintain the required water flow for the safe operation of Romania's Cernavodă nuclear power plant.