On Tuesday, water was recorded flowing from the Nova Kakhovka dam in a Russian-controlled area in southern Ukraine.
Footage from the scene appeared to show an explosion at the dam, which damaged much of its structure. It is unclear what caused the explosion. Ukrainian and Russian officials have accused each other of causing the dam to explode.
The deluge of water released from the dam has led to fears of widespread flooding as local residents are urged to evacuate the area immediately. About 42,000 people are at risk from flooding in the area.
The Nova Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro, about 30 km (20 mi) east of the town of Kherson, was 30 meters (98 ft) and 3.2 km (2 mi) wide.
It supplied water to large parts of southeastern Ukraine, in addition to the Crimea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
The dam’s reservoir also supplied water to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to cool the six nuclear reactors.
Before its destruction, the reservoir held an average of about 18 cubic kilometers (4.3 cu mi) of water.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said the plant should have enough water to cool the reactors for “several months” from a pond above the dam’s reservoir.
Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies have shared satellite images of the dam showing the extent of the damage.
Drag the slider to the right to compare before and after images of the dam.
Authorities installed by Russia declared a state of emergency in annexed parts of the Kherson region after the floods. Russia’s TASS news agency says at least seven people are missing after nearby areas were flooded.
The extent of the ecological impacts has yet to be clearly determined, but Ukrainian officials have warned they could be serious. The images below show urban centers around the Nova Kakhovka Dam submerged in water.
Ukraine’s agriculture ministry says flooding will affect tens of thousands of hectares in southern Ukraine and could turn at least 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) into “deserts”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident an act of “massive environmental destruction”. However, he said the alleged attack would not change Kiev’s plans to retake territory from the occupying forces.
The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for the incident, saying Kiev destroyed the site to divert attention from the counter-offensive Moscow claims it has already blunted.