Water levels in the Yangtze River have fallen, exposing a sunken island in the southwestern city of Chongqing. China but also three Buddhist statues, believed to be at least 600 years old.

According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, three statues were found at the highest point of Foelian Reef Island, believed to date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. One of the statues depicts a monk sitting on a lotus-shaped stand.

The level of the Yangtze is rapidly declining due to drought and heat waves in southwest China. As of July, rainfall in the Yangtze basin is about 45% below normal, and high temperatures will continue for at least another week.

State broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday that 66 rivers in 34 districts of Chongqing had dried up.

Lack of rain and high temperatures revealed hidden treasures in Europe as well. In Spain, archaeologists have been fascinated by a prehistoric megalithic site they call the “Spanish Stonehenge”. In Serbia, near Prahovo, the waters of the Danube have receded and exposed at least 20 German warships that sank there during World War II.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters, Xinhua.}