Nova Kakhovka Dam Collapse: Zelenskyy says 'rescuers being shot at by Russians from a distance' in flood-hit Kherson

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that rescue workers deployed in the flooded areas of the Kherson are being shot at by Russian forces.

The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-occupied southern part of Ukraine on Tuesday has triggered major floods in the region as rescuers try to evacuate thousands of people from the affected areas.

During an interview with German tabloid newspaper Bild, Zelenskyy said, “People, animals have died. 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 Kherson region.”

He added, “When our forces try to get them [the residents] out, they are shot at by occupiers from a distance. As soon as our helpers try to rescue them, they are shot at. We won’t be able to see all the consequences until a few days from now when the water has trickled down a bit.”

The dam’s collapse can pose a major threat to the areas nearby and have far-reaching consequences, UN humanitarian aid chief Martin Griffiths has warned.

Meanwhile, the international humanitarian organization ‘CARE’ has rung alarm bells about the landmines that are now probably floating in the floods unleashed by the dam’s collapse.

Fabrice Martin, country director at CARE Ukraine, said, “The area where the Kakhovka dam was, is full of landmines, which are now floating in the water and are posing a huge risk.”

Ukraine and NATO alike have blamed Russia for the collapse while Moscow has been blaming Kyiv.

Know the extent of damage

Governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, says that the flooding from the Kakhovka dam breach extends over 600 square kilometres on the Ukrainian-held right bank of the Dnipro River and the Russian-held left bank.

He said, “The average level of flooding is 5.61 meters. 600 square kilometres of the Kherson region are underwater, of which 32 per cent is the right bank and 68 per cent is the left bank.”

Zelenskyy visits affected region

President Zelenskyy visited the flooded region of Kherson on Thursday where he praised the efforts of rescuers and volunteers who were evacuating residents from the Kherson region.

He said, “In Kherson, I visited a crossing point where people are being evacuated from flooded areas. Our task is to protect lives and help people as much as possible. I thank the rescuers and volunteers! I thank everyone involved in this work!”

He also held meetings with various stakeholders to discuss the “evacuation of the population from potential flood zones, (the) elimination of the emergency caused by the dam explosion, (and the) organisation of life support for the flooded areas.”

With inputs from agencies

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