Five residents of a Russian-occupied city next to a breached dam have died in massive flooding triggered by the catastrophe, its Kremlin-appointed mayor said Thursday, the first official report of deaths from one of the largest environmental crises since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than 15 months ago.
Vladimir Leontyev, the Russian-appointed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, told Russian state TV that two other people who had gone missing following Tuesday’s dam breach had been found, and efforts were underway to evacuate them.
Officials say at least 4,000 people have been evacuated from both the Russian and Ukrainian-controlled sides of the Dnipro River,
