The Swiss-flagged cruise ship Viking Ullur ran aground on the Danube River due to critically low water levels, Digi 24 reports.

The incident occurred near the village of Salcia in Romania’s Mehedinți County, close to the border with Bulgaria.

There are 186 passengers and 52 crew members on board. The vessel departed Monday evening from the Romanian city of Drobeta-Turnu Severin and was heading to Vidin, Bulgaria, but became stuck on a sandbar and was unable to continue its journey.

According to authorities, the water level in the Danube remains extremely low: the river’s flow is about 1,600 cubic meters per second, which significantly complicates navigation. Attempts to refloat the ship made on Monday evening and Tuesday morning were unsuccessful. Representatives of the river administration acknowledged that the chances of freeing the vessel quickly are slim.

Later, Bulgaria’s border police began evacuating the passengers. As the country’s Interior Ministry reported, the cruise ship was also running low on drinking water ahead of a scheduled stop at the port of Vidin to replenish supplies.

Another boat was brought in to transport the people, but it was unable to get close enough to the stranded vessel. As a result, passengers wearing life jackets were transferred on border police patrol boats.

There have been no reports of injuries.