On Sunday, August 2, the shallow Danube near the village of Virt in the Komárno district showed what it had hidden at the bottom for decades — a large metal object, likely ammunition from World War II. The discovery was confirmed by the police, and river traffic had to be completely stopped during the work of the pyrotechnicians.
The report about the suspicious object was received by police officers from the Obvodné oddelenie (District Department) in Bátorove Kosihy. The patrol immediately went to the river, checked the information, and confirmed: the object was indeed there and looked dangerous. Later, a pyrotechnician from the Pohotovostný policajný útvar (Rapid Response Police Unit) KR PZ Nitra arrived at the location, and for the final identification of the object, a special group from the Kriminalisticko-expertízny ústav Prezídia Policajného zboru (Criminal Expert Institute of the Police Presidium) came from Bratislava, reported the Nitra Region police.
Why Navigation Was Stopped
The ammunition could not just be pulled out and taken away — transportation required full safety on the water. Therefore, on Monday, August 3, from 12:00 to 14:00, river traffic on this section of the Danube was stopped. During this time, pyrotechnicians safely removed the find, after which navigation was resumed.
The Danube Is Shallowing Across the Region
The reason for the find is the record low water level due to prolonged heat and drought. And this case is not isolated. As HNonline writes, this summer in Serbia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, sunken ships from World War II, archaeological finds, and other unexploded ammunition appeared from the bottom of the Danube. The river is gradually “revealing” its war secrets along its entire course.
If You Encounter Something Similar
The police remind simple rules that can save lives:
- Do not touch the object and do not try to pull it out or move it.
- Move to a safe distance and keep others away, especially children.
- Call 158 immediately — this is the Slovak police line.
Emergency numbers in Slovakia should always be at hand — save our list of important phone numbers.
If you are resting near the Danube or other rivers this summer, keep in mind: low water reveals the bottom, and the bottom of Slovak rivers still holds much “heritage” from the two world wars. One call to 158 takes a few minutes — it’s not worth the risk.
