Destroyed Ukrainian dam unleashes floodwaters, putting thousands at risk: Here’s what we know so far

A strategically important dam successful Russian-occupied confederate Ukraine was blown up connected Tuesday, raising fears astir safety, h2o supply, and Europe's largest atomic powerfulness plant, which receives cooling h2o from the reservoir upstream.

Russian and Ukraine some accused each other's forces of an intentional onslaught connected the Nova Kakhova dam. CNBC has not been capable to independently verify the claims.

Footage verified by NBC News showed h2o cascading implicit the damaged dam, with evacuation efforts underway to support thousands of radical surviving successful low-lying areas downstream.

The dam is situated connected the Dnieper River and holds backmost an tremendous assemblage of water. It was built successful 1956 arsenic portion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric powerfulness plant.

The Kakhovka Reservoir supplies h2o to the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia successful 2014, and provides cooling h2o to the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, which is besides nether Russian control.

In addition, its h2o is utilized to proviso hydroelectric stations, irrigation systems, and freshwater food farms.

The U.N.'s atomic watchdog said Tuesday it was intimately monitoring the concern astatine Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said via Twitter that it is alert of the reported harm astatine the dam, but determination was nary "immediate information risk" astatine the plant.

Ukraine's atomic relation Energoatom said via Telegram that "the h2o level successful the Kakhov reservoir is rapidly decreasing, which is an further threat" to the atomic powerfulness plant, according to a translation.

"Water from the Kakhovka Reservoir is indispensable for the presumption to person powerfulness for turbine capacitors and information systems of the ZNPP. The station's cooling pond is present full: arsenic of 8:00 a.m., the h2o level is 16.6 meters, which is capable for the station's needs," the bureau said.

The Conflict and Environment Observatory, a non-profit based successful the U.K., said the Kakhovka Reservoir is known to beryllium the "ultimate vigor sink" for the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, noting that it tin region vigor from shutdown reactors and spent substance pools. It warned the breach of the dam posed a "serious threat" to the plant.

Half the span of the Nova Kakhovka dam appears to person been destroyed and Russia's TASS quality bureau reported that the operation is continuing to collapse, citing exigency services.

Meanwhile, a Russian-installed authoritative successful the Ukrainian municipality of Nova Kakhovka reportedly said successful comments to authorities tv that the dam would beryllium intolerable to repair.