A luxury cruise ship ran aground and became stranded on the Danube River over the new year due to low water levels.
The Swiss-registered, 135-metre Nicko Vision had earlier departed Passau in Germany on a scheduled cruise to Bratislava in Slovakia with more than 200 passengers when it was transiting the Danube in the late evening (local time) of Wednesday, December 31.
The ship stopped abruptly during the transit after its hull made bottom contact.
Authorities said the grounding occurred due to the river being approximately 23 centimetres below its normal levels.
A tug was deployed to the scene to attempt to refloat the stranded ship. However, the effort proved unsuccessful.
On the morning of January 1, a barge was moved alongside the cruise ship, allowing all of the passengers to be safely evacuated. They were subsequently transferred to another ship that would take them the rest of the way to Bratislava.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the grounding.
Authorities said that, due to water levels in the Danube continuing to drop, there is no guarantee as to when the stranded ship will finally be freed.