A huge dam in the Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine has been destroyed, unleashing a flood of water.
Ukraine’s military and NATO have accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russian officials have blamed Ukrainian shelling.
Thousands of people are being evacuated from communities in the surrounding areas, with fears that any flooding could be catastrophic.
The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is in the city of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine’s Kherson region, which is currently under Russian occupation.
It was built in the Soviet era and is one of six dams that sits along the Dnipro River, which stretches all the way from the very north of the country into the sea in the south.
It is huge – locals call it the Kakhovka Sea, as you cannot see the other bank in certain places. The dam holds water equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah, according to Reuters.
Stills and video show a massive breach in the dam, with water surging through it and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.
It is unclear when exactly the dam was first damaged, but satellite images verified by the BBC suggest its condition has deteriorated over a number of days.
A road across the dam appears to be damaged from 2 June, but there does not seem to be a change to the flow of the water until 6 June, when the breach of the wall and collapse of nearby buildings can be clearly seen on video. It is currently unclear whether the damage to the road is linked to the 6 June breach.
Source: The BBC
