BEIJING—Plunging water levels of the Yangtze River have revealed a submerged island in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing and a trio of Buddha statues on it that are believed to be 600 years old, state media Xinhua has reported.
The three statues were found on the highest part of the island reef called Foyeliang, initially identified as built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The Yangtze’s water levels have been falling rapidly due to a drought and a heat wave in China’s southwestern region.
Rainfall in the Yangtze basin has been around 45 percent lower than normal since July, and high temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week, official forecasts said….