After the Nova Kakhovka dam break, rescuers move locals from a flooded region in Kherson, Ukraine, on June 7, 2023.
The president of Ukraine presents a desolate image of devastation and claims that Russian soldiers are firing at rescuers.
As a result of the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, dead bodies are reportedly floating in flooded regions, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Early on Tuesday, a massive hydroelectric dam from the Soviet period collapsed, spilling torrents of water into the Dnipro that caused extensive flooding.
Zelenskyy said that Russian soldiers shot at Ukrainian rescuers as they sought to reach individuals stranded in damaged regions in an interview with the American news outlet Politico on Wednesday.
"individuals may see drowned individuals floating by from the rooftops of the flooded homes. That is seen from the opposite side. It is extremely difficult to remove individuals from the Kherson region's seized territory. "Occupiers fire at our forces from a distance as they attempt to free them," he added.
According to Yevhen Ryshchuk, the exiled mayor of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, who was quoted by The Kyiv Independent, at least three people have perished as a result of the dam collapse.
According to the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, the mayor of Nova Kakhovka, who had been installed by Russian forces, announced on Thursday that five people had perished.
Zelenskyy cautioned, however, that it is not yet feasible to determine the number of fatalities.
Evacuations under way
Both the Russian- and Ukrainian-ruled areas are impacted on either side of the Dnipro.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional governor for Ukraine, said that on Thursday, over 600 square kilometres (230 square miles) of the Kherson region were under water, with 68 percent of that area being under Russian authority.
About 2,000 people, including 103 children, were reportedly evacuated from flooded regions, according to Ukraine's national emergency agency.
Vladimir Saldo, the regional governor backed by Russia on the bank under Russian control, claimed that up to 40,000 people were still trapped in flooded regions.
Tatyana Kuzmich, his deputy, stated that 1,274 people had been evacuated and that it would take at least 10 days to respond to the issue.
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