Danube river's low water levels reveal remains of WWII soldiers and motorcycle

What the report says

BBC World News reports that unusually low water levels in Budapest’s Danube River, brought on by a severe drought, have exposed the remains of two German soldiers from World War Two. The discovery was made near the riverbank in the Hungarian capital, where a passerby reportedly noticed part of a motorcycle sticking out of the rocks. Authorities and the German War Graves Commission later recovered the bodies, identification tags and other items.

According to the commission, the finds included a largely intact Wehrmacht motorcycle, a wedding ring and a Kuban shield, a German military badge. One tag is believed to have belonged to a Wehrmacht soldier and the other to a member of the Waffen-SS. The organisation said the preservation of the objects was helped by sludge and oil on the riverbed. It has started work to determine the soldiers’ identities, but said the process could take time and may require bone analysis and other checks.

The case has drawn attention because it may finally help families learn what happened to relatives who disappeared more than 80 years ago. The commission said the men are expected to be buried at the German war cemetery in Budaörs, outside Budapest. The find also comes against the backdrop of other wartime remains emerging from Danube waterways during the region’s drought.