MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Over 23,000 homes in 20 settlements were flooded in the Kherson Region after the dam was breached by the Ukrainian army’s shelling, a spokesman for the regional emergency services told TASS on Sunday.
"According to the latest data, 23,228 homes on the territory of 20 populated areas were submerged along with the Lower Dnieper National Nature Park, five cemeteries, one cattle burial site and 60 socially significant facilities as a result of the breach of the Kakhovka hydro-electric power plant," the spokesman said.
As many as 320 homes and one cemetery have recovered from the floodwaters, in particular, 150 houses on the territory of the Novaya Kakhovka municipal district and 170 in the Golaya Pristan district. The territories of the submerged settlements have recovered from the floodwaters by 10-15%, he said.
Overnight to June 6, the Ukrainian military delivered a strike against the Kakhovka HPP, destroying the plant’s hydraulic valves and triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. Rescue services are evacuating residents of nearby communities. According to the latest information, eight people died in the floods (including two civilians who were killed after the Ukrainian military shelled a temporary accommodation center). A total of 7,000 people, including 323 children and 112 citizens with limitary ability, have been evacuated by now.
The Kakhovka HPP destruction has caused serious damage to the environment, agricultural fields have been washed away and there is a risk of the shallowing of the North Crimean Canal. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed the strike against the Kakhovka HPP as Ukraine’s deliberate subversive act. He added that the Kiev regime must be held fully accountable for all the ensuing consequences.