WWII soldiers' remains emerge as Danube hits record low

Low water levels on the Danube river in Budapest have exposed the remains of two German Wehrmacht soldiers, a motorcycle and anti-tank mines, the German War Graves Commission said on Friday.

Staff from the commission exhumed the soldiers' remains, the organization said. The discovery of the anti-tank mine - a German-made Tellermine 35 - also prompted the deployment of an explosive ordnance disposal unit.

"The commission expects that war dead may also be recoverable from shipwrecks currently emerging from rivers," the statement said. 

The motorcycle and two identity tags found at the site were well preserved, given the chemical composition of the harbour silt.

Heat and drought have driven the Danube to a record low, which has also brought river cruise ship traffic on the Budapest stretch of the river to a standstill.