The death toll of the Kakhovka dam disaster has risen to 21, including five people killed by Russian attacks during evacuation or other emergency measures, Interior Minister reported on June 20.
Another 28 people are known to have been injured, including 16 liquidators of the Kakhovka dam breach, Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
Earlier the same day, Russian shelling of Kherson killed one emergency worker and wounded eight more when they were clearing mud, according to Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak.
“Killing rescue workers during the liquidation of one of the largest man-made disasters is a baseness and a manifestation of fear,” commented Klymenko.
As of now, 595 houses in Kherson Oblast reportedly remain underwater after Russia’s destruction of the dam caused massive flooding of downstream settlements along the Dnipro River.
The epidemiological situation in the region is stable, with no outbreaks of infectious diseases recorded, Klymenko added. However, he reminded residents that fishing and consuming fish caught in the affected areas was prohibited.
The dam of the Russian-occupied Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Kherson Oblast was destroyed on June 6, sparking a humanitarian and environmental disaster across southern Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces blew up the dam to prevent Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Daria Shulzhenko
(Updated: )
