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An entire region is increasingly under water: After the rupture of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, the water level in the flooded areas around the city of Kherson continues to rise. The government announced on Wednesday that the water was 3.5 meters high in the Korabel district. More than 1000,<> houses were flooded.

Alexander Sarovic, DER SPIEGEL:
"Here in Kherson, which lies downstream, the so-called island district is particularly affected. Residents tell us that the water reached the area around noon. We had to wade through knee-deep broth here. We also saw tree trunks and even house roofs floating on the Dnieper."

For hours, the tidal wave had spread on Tuesday and forced the inhabitants of many villages and towns south of the dam to flee. Evacuations of around 17,000 people on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the Dnieper River began shortly after the explosion became known – under fire from the Russian invaders, the Ukrainian interior minister said on Tuesday.

Alexander Sarovic, DER SPIEGEL:
"Some of the affected residents of the city were taken to Mykolaiv, an hour's drive away. Others are desperate to stay. One resident told us that he was always able to escape shelling in the shelter. But he couldn't do anything about these masses of water."

Aerial footage shows the extent of the flooding in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka, which is located in close proximity to the destroyed dam on the east bank of the Dnieper. Since early Wednesday morning, the water level has been gradually receding. This was announced by the Russian occupation authorities.

The collapse of the dam has far-reaching consequences for agriculture, animals, people and the infrastructure of the region. Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture estimates that about 10,000 hectares of agricultural land on the northern bank of the Dnieper could be destroyed. On the southern shore, in the Russian-occupied territory, many times this area is flooded. In addition, large quantities of machine oil leak from the destroyed waterworks located at the dam.

It is still unclear who is responsible for the explosion at the Kakhovka Dam. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the dam. Moscow claims that Ukrainian troops shelled the plant.