SOFIA: Bulgarian border guards began evacuating nearly 200 passengers on Tuesday from a cruise ship that ran aground on the Danube because of low water levels.

Europe has been hit by a succession of heatwaves this summer and the Danube, the continent’s second-longest river which flows through 10 countries, has recorded low water levels in recent weeks that have hindered navigation.

The Swiss-flagged Viking Ullur ran aground some 25 kilometres upstream of Vidin in northeastern Bulgaria on Monday night.

For security reasons, the operation was carried out with the help of a border police speedboat and was expected to be completed before Wednesday morning.

The ship, which plies a route between the Hungarian capital Budapest and Romania, was carrying 186 passengers, all of them European Union citizens, as well as 52 crew members and service staff.

It had been due to call at the port of Vidin to resupply and was also beginning to run short of drinking water, the ministry said.

Another ship was chartered by the shipping agent to take the passengers, but was not able to get near the vessel that ran aground.

Bulgarian police footage showed passengers wearing life vests being helped by emergency service personnel to board the speedboat.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2026