The barking of abandoned dogs further worsened the mood of those brought to safety. A woman on a raft clutches the head of her desperate daughter. A stalled military truck stuck in rising water has heightened panic levels as Red Cross teams try to arrange an orderly evacuation.
An emergency worker carries the belongings of residents evacuated from a flooded residential area in Kherson, Ukraine on June 6, 6. Photo: AP
No one knows how high the water level will go through a hole in the Kakhovka Dam, or whether people or livestock will escape alive.
The chaotic evacuation by boats and military trucks from an island neighborhood off the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Tuesday (June 6) is testament to the latest chaos caused by the Russian offensive. caused in Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of deliberately destroying the dam. Russian authorities blame Ukraine's recent military attacks.
Oleksandr Sokeryn, who left the house with his family after it was completely flooded, said: “The Russians broke the dam without thinking about the consequences. They cannot be forgiven.”
Officials on both sides said the massive dam failure caused no civilian casualties.
In the morning, before the flood water came, many people tried to fight. But as the water level rose in the streets, nearly reaching the tops of bus stops or the second floors of buildings, national security and emergency crews set out to rescue those trapped.
The United Nations says at least 16.000 people have been displaced and efforts are underway to provide water, money and legal and emotional support to those affected. Evacuations on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the river are sending people to cities including Mykolaiv and Odesa in the west.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said flooding from the dam failure is forecast to "have serious and lasting consequences for the humanitarian situation in the region" such as mines and explosives. be moved by water currents to new areas.
Mai Anh (according to CNA)
