Ukraine dam | Volodymyr Zelensky visits flood affected areas of Kherson

Kherson (Ukraine): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the flood-hit region of Kherson on Thursday to assess the damage caused by the dam collapse. Ukraine’s leader wrote on his Telegram account that he was helping to assess efforts to evacuate civilians. He said that they have provided drinking water and other help to the people and efforts are being made to prevent widespread environmental damage. Zelensky also raised the possibility of allocating funds to compensate people who were forced to leave their homes and offices due to rising water levels. Meanwhile, Vladimir Leontiev, the Russian-appointed mayor of the city of Novaya Kakhovka, told Russian state TV on Thursday that five of the seven local people who were declared missing after the dam broke had died. The Russian-controlled town is five kilometers from where the Kakhovka dam broke. He said two more people have been traced and efforts are on to rescue them. Officials said that at least 4,000 people have been evacuated from areas controlled by Russia and Ukraine near the Dnieper River. (agency)