The Rhine – Germany’s most famous river and a magnet for visitors to the country – is in real danger of drying up after months without rain.
Half of the 820-mile river is running at its lowest levels ever recorded, according to The Guardian, and in places it is just about possible to cross the normally-mighty waterway on foot.
The newspaper reports that there have been a spate of accidents on the river in recent weeks, with 40 tourists hurt when their boat crashed in the city of Koblenz on Sunday, and predicts that sightseers are likely to be disappointed by the river until next spring when it begins to be fed by melting snow from the Alps.
Rudiger Beisar, of the Water and Ship Authority in Mainz, told The Guardian that the river was just 15 inches deep in places: “Yes, you could probably try to cross it with your wellies, but this is not something we can recommend because of the strong and unpredictable current.”
