Low Rhine river reveals decades-old car wreck with human remains

Historically low water levels in Germany's Rhine river have revealed a car wreck containing human remains that may have lain on the riverbed for decades, police said on Monday.

The vehicle was discovered on August 3 by firefighters in Königswinter, near Bonn, a police statement said. The wreck was recovered two weeks later, with bone fragments later found inside the car and in the immediate vicinity.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the find. So far, there are no indications of a missing person's case that could be linked to the vehicle.

According to the police spokesman, the car may have been at the bottom of the Rhine for decades. It remains unclear whether the bone fragments belong to one person or several people.

"The investigation is proving difficult because it dates back such a long time," the spokesman said.

The recovered Fiat is believed to be a model produced between 1976 and 1984.

Low water levels have disrupted shipping along Europe's busiest inland waterways, forcing vessels to carry reduced loads, while exposing objects long hidden beneath the river, including World War II equipment and archaeological relics.