Volunteers and municipal workers grab the body from a flooded house in the town of Hola Prystan in the Kherson region, Russian-controlled territory, after flood waters receded following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, Ukraine on June 16, 2023.

　　Volunteers and municipal officials remove a dead body from a flooded house after floodwaters receded following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine, June 16, 2023, in the town of Khora Pristan, Russian-controlled Kherson region. Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region burst, flooding the town. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the collapse. Ukrainian authoritiesThe flooding in the Russian-occupied southern town diminished, but bodies remained under the rubble. Resources are scarce as Russian forces continue shelling the western bank of the Dnipro River.

　　The destruction in the flooded areas of Russian-occupied Khorapristan has been catastrophic, with bodies still buried under the rubble, the Ukrainian military administration posted on Telegram on June 21. Water levels are slowly receding, but eastern, central, and coastal areas of Khora Pristan remain partially flooded. The destruction of houses in the flooded towns is catastrophic. The bodies of the dead are buried under rubble. There is no gas or electricity supply in most of the town, and the sewage system in parts of the town are still submerged.

　　 In the early hours of June 6, 2023, after the Nova Kahovka dam and hydroelectric plant collapsed, the water level continued to rise and the occupied area in the Kherson region was declared catastrophic. Residents were left without rescue, without water, and simply on the roofs of their homes in flooded settlements. People and animals died. From the roofs of the flooded houses, drowned people can be seen floating. You can also see them on the other side. It was very difficult to get people out of the occupied areas in the Kherson region; search and rescue operations in Kherson began in earnest on June 7, but the sounds of shots being fired and cannons landing continued. More than 1,400 people were evacuated throughout the Kherson region, and more than 1,800 houses on the west bank of the Dnipro River were flooded.

　The Nova Kakhovka dam is a critical infrastructure, supplying water to most of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, including the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture has announced that 10,000 hectares of farmland are expected to be flooded, turning fields in southern Ukraine into deserts.On June 6 at around 3:00 a.m., Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, raising water levels and flooding the approaches and left bank of the Dnipro River and settlements located there. This made it difficult for Ukrainian forces to mount a counteroffensive in the future. However, it remains unclear if the dam was deliberately attacked or if the breach was due to a structural defect. Satellite images show that part of the bridge was lost between June 1 and 2. 

Warning: Volunteers and municipal workers grab the body from a flooded house in the town of Hola Prystan in the Kherson region, Russian-controlled territory, after flood waters receded following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, Ukraine on June 16, 2023. (Stringer/Anadolu Agency)