Water gradually receding after dam breach in flooded Ukraine regions, say officials
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Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard deliver food to the residents of a flooded area in Kherson.
PHOTO: AFP
KYIV - Water levels in parts of southern Ukraine that were flooded after the destruction of a Russian-held dam were beginning to fall, officials said on Friday.
“Thirty-five settlements remain flooded on the right bank, 3,763 houses are under water, but the water is gradually receding,” said Mr Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson military administration.
The flood triggered by damage to the Kakhovka dam in the early hours of Tuesday forced thousands to flee, disrupted water supplies and sparked fears of an environmental and humanitarian disaster.
Mr Prokudin said water levels in his region went from an average 5m 38cm to near 5m in the course of Friday.
He said 2,588 people had been evacuated from the Kherson region.
The UN sent humanitarian convoys to the region earlier on Friday, according to a post from the administration.
Mr Prokudin’s counterpart in the Mykolaiv region, Mr Vitaly Kim, also said “the water level began to fall” there. AFP
