Ukraine updates: Zelensky says help needed after dam breach

Rescue efforts continue after the breach of the Kakhovka dam, but Ukraine says more help is needed. DW has the latest.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern about a lack of support following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
 
It comes as the first deaths were reported following the breach of the dam in the Russian-occupied area of southern Ukraine.
 
"The situation in occupied parts of the Kherson region is absolutely catastrophic. The occupiers are simply abandoning people in frightful conditions. No help, without water, left on the roofs of houses in submerged communities," Zelenskyy said.
 
Flooding from the breach extends over 600 square kilometres on the Ukrainian-held right bank of the Dnipro River and the Russian-held left bank, the governor of the Kherson region said.
 
"The average level of flooding is 5.61 metres. 600 square kilometres of the Kherson region are under water, of which 32 percent is the right bank and 68 percent is the left bank," Oleksandr Prokudin, said on social media.
 
Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported emergencz service has said that up to 14,000 homes have been flooded, and nearly 4,300 people evacuated in Russian areas. 
 
The state emergency service of Ukraine said 1,995 people had been evacuated from flooded areas, including 103 children.
 
The reason for the dam's collapse remains unclear. Ukraine blamed Russia for blowing up the structure while some experts said it might have been due to  war time damage and neglect. 
 
The World Bank is conducting a rapid assessment of damage and needs, Anna Bjerde, managing director for operations said on Twitter.
 
The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam has "many very serious consequences for essential service delivery and the broader environment," she said.
 
Bjerde added that the new damage assessment would build on the bank's previous analysis of damage to Ukraine's infrastructure and buildings, which estimated that it would cost $411 billion to rebuild Ukraine's economy after Russia's invasion.