A MYSTERIOUS 300-year-old sunken city has risen from a dried-up dam during a heatwave.
The ruins of the ancient church and houses of the ancient city of Pantabangan in the Philippines have reappeared after water levels dropped.
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The town was flooded in the 1970s to make way for the construction of a reservoir that powers a hydroelectric plant and supplies water to farmers.
A 19th-century chapel, a municipal building and a cemetery along with 20,000 acres of farmland were submerged under the new lake.
Around 1,300 people had to leave their homes to move to higher ground overlooking one of Asia’s largest dams.
The remains of the deceased also had to be moved to a new cemetery before the city disappeared under the reservoir.
The city remains hidden under water for most of the year, with only the cross of the church visible.
But during the hot, dry season, tourists visiting the site can glimpse the remains of the lost village.
The images show the rubble of houses and tombstones from the public cemetery emerging from the mud.
Curious tourists are seen posing among the scattered bricks and on top of the support of a statue that no longer exists.
The 300-year-old village is considered a cultural heritage area and visitors can pay a modest $5 fee to enter the site for 40 minutes.
They would also have to pay for the boat ride that will take them to the center of the reservoir.
This centuries-old settlement has reappeared six times since the dam was built, but only for a short time.
Marlon Paladin, an engineer at the state agency that operates the country’s dams, told AFP: “In my experience, this is the longest time (it was visible).”
This year, the reservoir’s water level has fallen 50 m from its usual level of 221 m, according to the state meteorologist.
After months without rain, half of the country’s provinces are experiencing drought with scorching temperatures reaching 50°C.
The extreme heat is amplified by El Niño, a weather phenomenon in which the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean are unusually warm.
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