Aid workers were in the process of evacuating Kherson when one person was killed in what is supposed to be a Russian attack, writes the Reuters news agency. A rescue worker and a police officer are said to be among the eight injured, according to a representative of the Ukrainian military. The dam is in the front line of the war On the night of Tuesday, the Kakhovka dam in Kherson was destroyed. The dam is on the front line in the war in Ukraine. Now 600 square kilometers are under water. 29 cities are affected. 10 of them on the Russian-controlled side, 19 of them on the Ukrainian-controlled side. So far, at least three people are said to have died as a result of the embarrassment, all on the Russian side. Emergency aid not yet on the Russian side The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is in dialogue with local authorities on the Russian-controlled side, but has not yet received the go-ahead to enter. – There is ongoing communication, and they are ready to go in, says Erik Abild, regional manager responsible for Ukraine at the Red Cross. Erik Abild calls the aid work dangerous and unclear, but that Red Cross Norway is ready to help. Photo: Red Cross He calls the situation dramatic, unclear and difficult: – It is a disaster in the middle of a war zone. That makes it particularly demanding and difficult. It is Ukrainian aid workers who are involved. Red Cross Ukraine is on the Ukrainian-controlled side. Abild says that right now it’s about saving lives, giving them shelter, food and water. Local aid workers are working to evacuate people on the Ukrainian side in Kherson. Photo: Red Cross Red Cross Norway is preparing for the long-term response. They are in Ukraine, and support with both health care and emergency aid. – We continuously evaluate how we can best help, with emergency aid and expertise, says Abild. Agricultural area can become desert Abild shows that hundreds of thousands may lose their drinking water, and that huge agricultural areas are in danger of being destroyed. Hundreds of thousands have lost access to clean drinking water after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed, according to Zelenskyj. Photo: Reuters The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture is also worried about what this could mean for agriculture: – The destruction of the Kakhovka hydropower plant will lead to agricultural areas in southern Ukraine becoming desert as early as next year. Blame each other It is still unclear why the dam burst, and Russia and Ukraine blame each other. – It is not something that has happened by chance in an attack with artillery or with a cruise missile or something. This is good blasting work, says Palle Ydstebø at the War College.
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Russia is said to have attacked Kherson during evacuation – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
