Italy's largest river has been affected by a historic dry spell.
The Po River empties into the Adriatic Sea from a distance of over 500 miles. It is currently facing its worst dry spell in 70 years and has a sunken ship.
The barge that transported wood in World War II and sank in 1943 is usually hidden. The river's water levels are so low that the wreck can be seen.
(Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images)
"This is the first time that we can see this barge," amateur cyclist Vezzali told the AP from the park.
Bonin used his drones to take pictures of the wreck. He told The Guardian that it was frightening.
In the past you could see the bow of the boat, but in March it was so exposed that it was very dramatic. Our main concern used to be our river flooding, now we worry about it being gone because of the dry spell.
A heron stands on the now exposed sunk ship. (Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images)
There are a number of factors that contribute to the dry spell. The Po basin of water in Northern Italy has not seen rain in more than 100 days, snowfall is down 70 percent, and temperatures are above average.
According to the secretary general of the Po River Basin Authority, the river flow in Boretto is over 500,000 gallons per second. 80,000 gallons per second is how much it is now.
Water supplies, irrigation for agriculture, and hydroelectric power plants for energy production are at risk due to the lack of rain.
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