Russian official says breach of Kakhovka dam in Ukraine killed 41

Russia’s emergency situations minister said on Wednesday that 41 people had been killed and 121 hospitalized as a result of the breach of the Kakhovka dam in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine earlier this month.

Speaking during a televised government meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kurenkov said that more than 8,000 people were evacuated from the flood zone.

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The collapse of the Russian-held dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across southern Ukraine and Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region, killing people and destroying homes and farmland.

Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since the early days of its invasion. The Kremlin accused Kyiv of sabotaging the hydroelectric facility.

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