Washington warned there would be ‘likely many deaths’ and a Chinese envoy expressed ‘grave concern’ as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame for ripping a gaping hole in the Nova Kakhovka dam, unleashing a torrent of water.
Ukraine was evacuating thousands of people Wednesday after an attack on a major Russian-held dam unleashed a torrent of water, inundating two dozen villages and sparking fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Washington warned there would be “likely many deaths” and a Chinese envoy expressed “grave concern” as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame for ripping a gaping hole in the Nova Kakhovka dam, which is located on the front line and provides cooling water for Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
Kyiv said the destruction of the dam – seized by Russia in the early hours of the war – was an attempt by Moscow to hamper its long-awaited offensive, which Ukraine’s leader stressed would not be affected.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday following requests from Russia and Ukraine.
“Today’s news means the plight of the people in Ukraine is set to get even worse,” the UN’s top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths told the meeting.
The UN warned that hundreds of thousands could be affected on both sides of the front line.
People in Kherson, the largest population centre nearby, headed for higher ground as water poured into the Dnipro River.
Ukrainian authorities said 17,000 people were being evacuated and a total of 24 villages had been flooded.
“Over 40,000 people are in danger of being flooded,” Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said, adding that 25,000 more people needed to be evacuated on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro.
“The evacuation will continue tomorrow and in the coming days – by bus and train,” presidential adviser Oleksiy Kuleba said late Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of detonating an “environmental bomb of mass destruction”, saying authorities expected up to 80 settlements to be flooded and urging the world to “react”.
