MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. Approximately 100 people are currently stranded by flood waters in Novaya Kakhovka and awaiting evacuation in the aftermath of massive flooding triggered by the destruction of the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), Novaya Kakhovka Mayor Vladimir Leontyev said on Wednesday.
"Work is underway to rescue those people who are currently in need of evacuation; there are about 100 of them who are stranded at a ‘dacha’ [country house] community in [the village of] Korsunka," he told Channel One television.
Moreover, the mayor added that, on Tuesday, residents who were evacuated from the flooded areas of Novaya Kakhovka were attacked by a drone that dropped an improvised explosive device. According to Leontyev, the evacuees just barely missed being killed or wounded, slamming the incident as "ruthless and ungodly."
Ukrainian forces shelled the Kakhovka HPP in the early morning hours on Tuesday, which resulted in the collapse of the hydraulic sluice gate valves on the plant’s dam, triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. Water levels in Novaya Kakhovka reached 12 meters but are now receding. According to emergency services, there are 15 population centers in the flood zone. The residents of nearby communities are being evacuated. The destruction of the power generation facility has seriously damaged the environment, washing away farmland along the Dnieper River and threatening water levels in the North Crimean Canal. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the attack on the Kakhovka HPP was a premeditated act of sabotage. He added that the responsibility for its consequences fully lies with the Kiev regime.