Photos show the flooded destruction the Kakhovka dam break is causing for tens of thousands of people in Ukraine

Rebecca HarringtonJun 7, 2023, 00:26 IST

This image made from video provided by Ukraine's Presidential Office shows the damaged Kakhovka dam near Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Ukraine's Presidential Office via AP

The Kakhovka dam was destroyed Tuesday, releasing water from a reservoir into the Dnipro River.
Photos show the destruction the floods are causing an estimated 38,000 people in southern Ukraine.

The Kakhovka dam is located in southern Ukraine, east and upstream of Kherson.

An infographic titled Major Kakhovka dam blown up in Kherson, flood risk in region'' created in Ankara, Turkiye on June 6, 2023. Evacuations begin due to flood risks after Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in southern Ukraine is breached.Yasin Demirci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The dam was destroyed on Tuesday, and water from the Kakhovka Reservoir it was containing began pouring into the Dnipro River.

This image made from video provided by Ukraine's Presidential Office shows the damaged Kakhovka dam near Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP

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The floodwaters rushed over buildings.

This image made from video provided by Ukraine's Presidential Office shows the damaged Kakhovka dam near Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP

The water engulfed houses.

This image made from video provided by Ukraine's Presidential Office shows the damaged Kakhovka dam near Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP

Source: Insider

Ukraine and Russia both accused each other of destroying the dam and causing the flooding.

In this image taken from video released by the Ukrainian Presidential Office, water runs through a breakthrough in the Kakhovka dam in Kakhovka, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP

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But Russian forces control the area around the dam. Ukraine's president accused Russia of mining the dam in October.

This image made from video provided by Ukraine's Presidential Office shows the damaged Kakhovka dam near Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Ukraine's Presidential Office via AP

Source: Insider

An estimated 22,000 people live in Russian-controlled areas that could be affected by the flooding, and about 16,000 live in areas Ukraine controls.

Source: AP

The Kakhovka Reservoir holds about 4 trillion gallons of water.

Source: Insider

The reservoir serves as a cooling source for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and could pose a problem if it drains too much, though that risk is low.

Source: Insider

Stephen Hall, a politics lecturer at the University of Bath, told Insider's Sophia Ankel the "humanitarian disaster" could affect people in the area for weeks to come.

An explosion at the Kakhovka dam has sent a wall of water downstream, flooding Ukrainian towns.Reuters

Source: Insider

"It will take a while for the Dnipro to go back into its channel," Hall told Insider. "People will be flooded out, homes will be ruined."

Water runs through a gap in the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Kherson region on June 6, 2023Zelenskyy Social Media Account / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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Hall also warned of the potential for waterborne diseases the floodwaters could spread.

Drone footage shows water gushing from the reservoir after the dam was breached.Screenshot/Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa

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Residents downstream from the dam were already wading through floodwaters on Tuesday.

A local resident gestures near his house, which was flooded after the Russian troops blew the Kakhovka dam overnight, in Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.AP Photo/Nina Lyashonok

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Many were forced to evacuate, bringing the belongings they could quickly pack and take with them.

People wait for an evacuation train at a railway station in Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.AP Photo/Nina Lyashonok

It wasn't just humans who had to evacuate — this man led a cow down a flooded street in Kherson.

A man evacuates a cow, leading it through flooded a street on June 6, 2023, in Kherson, Ukraine, after the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was destroyed.Valentyna Gurova/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

And this man brought a dog with him to the train station.

People wait for an evacuation train at a railway station in Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.AP Photo/Nina Lyashonok

Both Ukraine and Russia sent trains and buses to evacuate residents, and no injuries or deaths were reported.

People board an evacuation train at a railway station in Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.AP Photo/Nina Lyashonok

Source: AP

Before the dam break, the waters had risen so high in the reservoir that they appeared to be spilling over the side, an AP analysis found, with heavy snowmelt and spring rains contributing.

This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows an overview of the damage on the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Planet Labs PBC via AP

Source: AP

Before the dam break, the waters had risen so high in the reservoir that they appeared to be spilling over the side, an AP analysis found, with heavy snowmelt and spring rains contributing.

Source: AP

Before the break, you can see a curved chunk of the dam still intact in this satellite image taken on May 28.

You can see the break in the dam in this satellite image.

The Nova Kakhovka Dam in Kherson on June 5.Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

This satellite image shows the scale of the destruction from the floodwaters.

This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows an overview of the damage on the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Planet Labs PBC via AP

The floods also have the potential to destroy crops. Wheat prices jumped 3% after the dam break.

This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows an overview of the damage on the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.Planet Labs PBC via AP

Source: AP

For people on the ground, it's another day of man-made devastation in the 16th month of war.

A local resident walks along the street, which was flooded after the Russian troops blew the Kakhovka dam overnight, in Kherson, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.AP Photo/Nina Lyashonok

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Photos show the flooded destruction the Kakhovka dam break is causing for tens of thousands of people in Ukraine

The Kakhovka dam is located in southern Ukraine, east and upstream of Kherson.

The dam was destroyed on Tuesday, and water from the Kakhovka Reservoir it was containing began pouring into the Dnipro River.

The floodwaters rushed over buildings.

The water engulfed houses.

Ukraine and Russia both accused each other of destroying the dam and causing the flooding.

But Russian forces control the area around the dam. Ukraine's president accused Russia of mining the dam in October.

An estimated 22,000 people live in Russian-controlled areas that could be affected by the flooding, and about 16,000 live in areas Ukraine controls.

The Kakhovka Reservoir holds about 4 trillion gallons of water.

The reservoir serves as a cooling source for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and could pose a problem if it drains too much, though that risk is low.

Stephen Hall, a politics lecturer at the University of Bath, told Insider's Sophia Ankel the "humanitarian disaster" could affect people in the area for weeks to come.

"It will take a while for the Dnipro to go back into its channel," Hall told Insider. "People will be flooded out, homes will be ruined."

Hall also warned of the potential for waterborne diseases the floodwaters could spread.

Residents downstream from the dam were already wading through floodwaters on Tuesday.

Many were forced to evacuate, bringing the belongings they could quickly pack and take with them.

It wasn't just humans who had to evacuate — this man led a cow down a flooded street in Kherson.

And this man brought a dog with him to the train station.

Both Ukraine and Russia sent trains and buses to evacuate residents, and no injuries or deaths were reported.

Before the dam break, the waters had risen so high in the reservoir that they appeared to be spilling over the side, an AP analysis found, with heavy snowmelt and spring rains contributing.

Before the break, you can see a curved chunk of the dam still intact in this satellite image taken on May 28.

You can see the break in the dam in this satellite image.

This satellite image shows the scale of the destruction from the floodwaters.

The floods also have the potential to destroy crops. Wheat prices jumped 3% after the dam break.

For people on the ground, it's another day of man-made devastation in the 16th month of war.