The lower water level of the Yangtze River has revealed a submerged island in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing and three Buddhist statues believed to be 600 years old, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The three statues were found at the top of the reef of the island called Foyeliang, which was initially identified as having been built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. One of the statues depicts a monk sitting on a lotus pedestal.
The water level of the Yangtze River decreased rapidly due to drought and heat wave in southwest China.
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A once-submerged Buddhist statue above the reef of Fuiliang Island in the Yangtze River, which appears after water levels fell due to regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Official forecasts said precipitation in the Yangtze River Basin has fallen by about 45% than normal since July, and high temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week. Read more
As many as 66 rivers across 34 counties in Chongqing have dried up, state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday. Read more
Weeks of baking drought across Europe also revealed long-submerged treasures.
In Spain, archaeologists were delighted with the appearance of a prehistoric stone circle nicknamed the “Spanish Stonehenge”. The Danube, one of Europe’s other great rivers, has fallen to one of its lowest levels in nearly a century, revealing the hulls of more than 20 German warships sunk during World War II near the Serbian river port of Prahovo. Read more
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Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirozu and Ella Kao in Beijing; Editing by Christina Fincher
Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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