Ukraine dam: Maps and before and after images reveal scale of disaster

The standard of the floods caused by the demolition of a immense dam successful the Russian-controlled country of confederate Ukraine connected Tuesday is starting to go clear.

Satellite images amusement however overmuch h2o has already dispersed down-river from the Kakhovka dam - though flood waters whitethorn not yet person peaked successful the metropolis of Kherson astir 75km (45 miles) to the west.

The dam is adjacent to the metropolis of Nova Kakhovka, successful the Kherson region, and holds backmost a reservoir that is truthful immense locals telephone it the Kakhovka Sea - due to the fact that you cannot spot the other slope successful definite places.

Images from Nova Kakhovka connected Tuesday showed buildings surrounded by floodwaters hours aft the dam was destroyed.

It is unclear erstwhile precisely the dam was archetypal damaged oregon however it happened, but outer images suggest its information had deteriorated implicit a fig of days.

A roadworthy crossed the dam tin beryllium seen to to beryllium severely damaged from 2 June, but determination did not look to beryllium a alteration to the travel of the h2o until 6 June erstwhile the breach of the partition and illness of adjacent buildings tin beryllium intelligibly seen.

The full southbound slope of the Dnipro River arsenic acold arsenic the eastbound extremity of the immense Kakhovka reservoir has been occupied by Russian forces since the penetration past year.

Apart from the flooding, the dam's demolition has raised interest astir the authorities of the Zaporizhzia atomic powerfulness station, astir 130km upstream.

The reservoir provided cooling h2o to the plant, which is besides nether Russian control, but the reservoir is present emptying rapidly.

However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says determination are alternate h2o sources to support the works cool.

Some reports suggest that h2o levels whitethorn beryllium dropping successful the municipality of Nova Kakhovka, closest to the dam, arsenic the immense reservoir down it empties.

But the city's Russian-appointed politician Vladimir Leontyev said the colony of Korsunka - astir 15km westbound of the dam - was wholly nether water, with flooding up to extortion level successful 3 different villages.

Ukraine and Russia some accidental they person evacuated much than 1,000 radical each.

However, Ukrainian officials accidental much than 40,000 radical - 17,000 successful Ukraine-held territory westbound of the Dnipro River and 25,000 successful the Russian-occupied eastbound - request to leave.

And Kherson itself has already seen dense flooding - adjacent though Ukrainian authorities accidental h2o levels whitethorn not highest until the extremity of Wednesday.

Once again the existent standard becomes clearer from outer images that amusement conscionable however overmuch of the metropolis has been deed by the deluge.

It is conscionable the latest calamity to deed the metropolis since Russia's penetration - occupation, liberation aft dense warring and shelling astir days.

Reporting and graphics by Chris Clayton, Tural Ahmedzade, Daniele Palumbo, Erwan Rivault, Kate Gaynor, Gerry Fletcher & Filipa Silverio