STOCKHOLM, June 10. /TASS/. The Norwegian Seismic Array (NORSAR) said it had registered seismic signals indicating an explosion at the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) when it burst early on June 6, the organization said on its website.
"NORSAR has analysed seismic signals from regional stations," the organization said. "Data from regional seismic stations show clear signals on Tuesday 6 June at 2:54 [a.m.] local time (01:54 a.m. Norwegian time). Time and location (coordinates: 46.7776, 33.37) coincide with reports in the media about the collapse of the Kakhovka dam. The signals indicate that there was an explosion."
Besides, Norwegian scientists "observed weak signals from an earlier seismic event from approximately 02:35 a.m. (local time) originating from the direction of the Kakhovka Dam."
On the morning of June 6, the Ukrainian military launched a missile attack on the Kakhovka HPP, which resulted in the destruction of gate sluice valves at the HPP’s dam, triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. According to emergency services, there are 35 communities in the flood zone, and residents of nearby villages are being evacuated. Eight people are reported to have died and more than 60 taken to the hospital.
The destruction of the hydro power plant has caused serious environmental damage with farmlands along the Dnieper River being washed away. Additionally, there is a risk that the North Crimean Canal may run low and become too shallow. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the strike on the Kakhovka dam as an act of deliberate sabotage by Ukrainian forces, adding that the Kiev regime should bear full responsibility for its consequences.