A state of emergency has been declared in the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region after the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed and a large area flooded, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday (June 7).
The agency, citing emergency services, said Tuesday’s dam failure flooded nearly 2,700 homes and displaced nearly 1,300 people. At least seven people are missing, Moscow-backed officials said.
The destruction of the Moscow-controlled Nova Kakhvovka dam on the Dnieper River flooded a significant part of the front line in the Kherson region. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the collapse of the dam.
Some 42,000 people are at risk of flooding in areas controlled by Russia and Ukraine along the Dnieper river, Ukrainian officials said, as the UN aid chief warned of “severe and far-reaching consequences”.
TASS cited the mayor of Nova Kakhvovka, Vladimir Leontev, and seven people missing. More than 900 people were evacuated from the Russian-controlled city of 45,000 on the left bank of the Dnieper River on Tuesday.