- Low water has claimed its first victim, with a Viking river ship in Europe running aground.
- Viking Ullur was sailing on the Danube in Bulgaria.
- The evacuation was performed safely, with no passengers or crew hurt. The operation was assisted by local police.
The low waters of Europe have claimed their first victim, with the Viking Ullur running aground on the Danube in Bulgaria. All 186 passengers were evacuated from the vessel safely.
The local Bulgarian ministry stated that limited visibility and low water levels were likely the cause of the incident, after the ship ran aground at about 2 am local time, 25 kilometres north of the town of Vidin.
Images and videos taken by a passenger below show how and where the ship ran aground.
There were 186 passengers and 52 crew onboard. It was reported that as the rescue mission was carried out, there was almost no drinking water left onboard.
The rescue mission was complicated as the rescue vessel wasn’t able to get close enough to the stranded ship, likely due to the low water levels.
Instead, the operation was carried out with the help of a police speedboat. Passengers were given life jackets and were helped by rescue workers to exit the ship.
It’s very rare for river cruise ships to run aground. But the water levels have lately been hitting historic lows thanks to the heatwave.
This appears to be the first river cruise ship incident this season directly related to water levels, so despite concerns, it can’t yet be directly attributed to the heatwave.Â
