A Dutch sailor weighing anchor in Austria's Danube river dialed 999 when he hauled up a BMW car - with the driver still behind the steering wheel, say police in Ybbs.

The captain of the Dutch riverboat Janny had stopped shortly before the hydroelectric power plant and had lowered the anchor - but when he raised it and brought up what was once a brand-new BMW company with the rotting corpse of the driver believed to be Herbert M who has been missing since March 2007.