Global Courant
Bodies are floating in flooded areas after the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The massive Soviet-era hydroelectric dam collapsed early Tuesday, sending streams of water into the Dnipro that have led to widespread flooding.
Kiev and Moscow have exchanged blame for the incident.
Speaking to US news site Politico on Wednesday, Zelenskyy also accused Russian troops of firing on Ukrainian rescuers as they tried to reach people trapped in the affected areas.
“From the roofs of the flooded houses, people see drowned people floating by. You can see that on the other side. It is very difficult to get people out of the occupied part of (the) Kherson region. When our forces try to free them, they are shot at from a distance by occupiers,” he said said.
The Kyiv Independent quoted Yevhen Ryshchuk, the exiled mayor of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, as saying that at least three people died as a result of the dam disaster.
The Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka said on Thursday that five people had died, according to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.
However, Zelensky warned that it is not yet possible to know how many people died.
“We will not be able to foresee all the consequences in the coming days, if the water has dropped a little,” he told Politico.
Evacuations underway
Ukrainian and Russian controlled areas on both sides of the Dnipro are hit.
Ukraine’s regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin estimated that about 600 square kilometers (230 square miles) of the Kherson region was under water on Thursday and that 68 percent of the flooded area was on the Russian-controlled side.
Ukraine’s state emergency service said about 2,000 people have been evacuated from flooded areas, including 103 children.
At the Russian-controlled bank Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-backed regional governor, said up to 40,000 people were left in flooded areas.
His deputy, Tatyana Kuzmich, said 1,274 people had been evacuated and relief efforts would last at least 10 days.
Thousands without drinking water
Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned of an environmental catastrophe that could have serious humanitarian consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.
The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, said emergency measures are underway to provide relief to more than 16,000 people, including water supplies.
The UN said there is a team in Kherson to coordinate relief efforts and access to drinking water is a major problem, adding that 12,000 bottles of water and 10,000 purification tablets have been distributed so far.
The World Bank will conduct a rapid assessment of the damage and needs caused by the Russian terrorist attack. Talked to @bjerde_anna on the consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam. Grateful for @World Bank for his continued support #Ukraine.
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) June 7, 2023
Concerns about animal welfare are also on the rise.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that as many as 300 animals had died at the Kazkova Dibrova Zoo after it was flooded.
Rescue operations were hampered by mines that surrounded the perimeter of the zoo.
The park in Nova #Kakhovka, where the zoo was located, has been flooded. It is not yet known what happened to the animals. In Kherson, beavers flee from flooding pic.twitter.com/7SssAr4K7z
— Olha Konsevych (@Liza22Frank) June 6, 2023
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