Poland: Drought leads to discovery of WWII Soviet plane and skeletons of crew

The extreme drought currently facing Poland has led to the discovery of a Second World War Soviet plane and the remains of its ill-fated crew. Falling water levels at a lake in Kamion, in central Poland, revealed the wreckage and teams are now working to remove it.

According to Radio Poland, the skeletons and their uniforms have been removed, along with several parts of the plane. At present, experts do not know the model of the plane due to the extent of the damage from the crash – and at least 70 years of being submerged beneath the water.

Zdzislaw Leszczynski, director of the Museum of the River Vistula in Wyszogród, who is part of the excavation team, said: "For now we have managed to find the instrument panel, the engine, a wheel and a well-preserved radio station. Locals say the plane was shelled by German artillery and it plummeted [into the water]. The plane was so battered that it's impossible to determine which model it is for the time being."

The excavation is being carried out by the museum, and rest of the plane is due to be removed from the lake over the coming week.

Parts of Poland have been experiencing a severe drought for almost a month. Last week it was announced that the country's longest river – the Vistula – hit its lowest water level for more than 200 years. Grzegorz Walijewski, a hydrologist at Poland's IMGW weather institute, told AFP water levels in Warsaw fell to 50cm – the lowest since records began in 1789.

Temperatures at the start of August reached 38C, with the heatwave forcing the national supplier to cut electricity to factories for several hours. The government also appealed to people not to use energy between 10am and 5pm.