Story perspectives

Record Low Danube Triggers Reactor Shutdown, Bridge Closure, Tourist Evacuation

8/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

Hungary’s authority measured the Danube at 23 cm, below the 33 cm 2018 record.
Romania’s flow fell to 1,630 m³/s—about one-third of July’s average—forcing the Cernavoda reactor to shut down.
Hungary’s Paks plant began powering down one reactor as water levels dropped.
Bulgarian police evacuated 186 tourists from the grounded Viking Ullur near Vidin, leaving its 52-person crew aboard.
Authorities closed Budapest’s Margaret Bridge after a World War II bomb surfaced as the river receded.

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Story summary

Hungary’s authority measured the Danube at 23 cm, below the 33 cm 2018 record.
Romania’s flow fell to 1,630 m³/s—about one-third of July’s average—forcing the Cernavoda reactor to shut down.
Hungary’s Paks plant began powering down one reactor as water levels dropped.
Bulgarian police evacuated 186 tourists from the grounded Viking Ullur near Vidin, leaving its 52-person crew aboard.
Authorities closed Budapest’s Margaret Bridge after a World War II bomb surfaced as the river receded.