The Rhine dries up and forest fires rage in France as Europe faces the worst drought in 500 years

The Rhine, which suffered extremely low water levels due to the scorching summer and low rainfall, is one of the main waterways Western European trade as it flows through Germany and into the North Sea

Low water levels have dried up the Rhine at Sinzig, Germany (

Image: Ying Tang/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)

Scorching temperatures and low rainfall have dried up huge sections of the Rhine as Europe faces its worst drought in 500 years and France is ravaged by forest fires.

The Rhine, one of the main waterways of the continent, originates in the Swiss Alps before flowing through Germany and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea.

Weeks of scorching temperatures and low rainfall this summer have drained the river, which is also Germany's trade artery, leading to shipping delays and increased transportation costs.

Conditions have deteriorated across Europe as multiple heat waves sweep across the continent.

Water levels in rivers, lakes and reservoirs across Western Europe are low, even dry, amid the most severe drought in decades, which is straining drinking water supplies , hinders river freight and tourism and threatens agricultural yields.

In Spain, farmers in the south fear that a severe drought could reduce olive oil production by almost a third at the world's largest producer.