The bodies of two German soldiers from World War Two have been discovered in the Danube river in Budapest. The finds were made possible by record-low water levels following an intense drought.
Alongside the remains, searchers found identification tags, a largely intact German army Wehrmacht motorcycle, a wedding ring, and a Kuban shield, a combat badge. The German War Graves Commission stated that the items, particularly the identification tags and motorcycle, were remarkably well-preserved due to a mixture of harbour sludge and oil on the riverbed.
The wreck was reportedly discovered on 2 August after a passerby reported part of the motorcycle protruding from rocks. Anti-tank mines were also found, leading to a temporary closure of the riverbank.
The commission has begun an investigation to identify the soldiers. One of the identification tags belonged to a Wehrmacht soldier, and the other to a member of the Waffen-SS, which was declared a criminal organisation at the Nuremberg Trials. The commission noted that the families of these soldiers would have "waited in vain" for official notification of their deaths.
Determining their identities will take time, as the commission needs to ascertain if the tags and shield belong to the soldiers found. Bone analysis is expected to be a key method. The soldiers are to be buried at the German war cemetery in Budaörs, near the Hungarian capital.