Kakhovka dam blast: Russia declares state of emergency

Russia has declared a state of emergency after an explosion rocked the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, which also destroyed an adjacent hydroelectric power plant.

The explosion destroyed the dam early Tuesday morning.

Vladimir Leontyev, the Moscow-appointed mayor of Nova Kakhovka said “The city is flooded. The power plant is also underwater”.

On the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River, Leontyev said a total of 600 houses in three regions were affected by severe flooding.

Ukraine accused Russia of blowing up the dam and the nearby hydroelectric power station to disrupt the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.

But Moscow denied this and claimed that the Ukrainian army shelled the plant.

dpa/NAN