Nova Kakhovka dam collapsing further, water level to rise, local authorities say
Flooding is slowly decreasing in the Kherson region, in southern Ukraine, after Russia blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, but the water level is expected to increase by the end of the day, local authorities say.
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Russia blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant overnight on Tuesday, leading to the breach of the dam and unleashing floodwater across the downstream area.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional state administration, said early on Wednesday no emergencies had been recorded during the last day, and "the intensity of flooding is decreasing."
"However, due to the significant damage to the dam, water will continue to arrive. According to our forecasts, the water level will increase by another metre over the next 20 hours," he said in a video posted on Telegram.
According to Mr Prokudin, 1,852 houses on the right bank of the Dnipro River have already been flooded in the Kherson region.
In total, 1457 people were evacuated by early Wednesday, most of them from the microdistrict of Korabel in the city of Kherson.
Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, the spokesperson of the Kherson regional state administration, told national television the water level is expected to reach "a critical level" within a day and then will start declining.
He added Ukrainian emergency services stood ready to help people from the left bank of the Dnipro River, occupied by Russian forces.
A Ukrainian national security and defence council urgent meeting held on TUesday agreed upon "a set of international and security measures" to hold Russia accountable for the collapse of the dam.
The plant was blown up from the inside overnight on Tuesday, with its dam destroyed, leading to a rapid rise in the water level in the nearby areas.
