Volunteers Struggle To Rescue Elderly Trapped By Floodwaters In Kherson
- By RFE/RL
Rescuers are struggling to reach Kherson's most vulnerable people who are trapped by flooding following the breach of a dam in Russian-occupied territory. Kyiv and Moscow have traded accusations over who is responsible for what is being called the biggest environmental disaster since Chernobyl.
![Ukrainian soldiers help unload a local resident from a boat during an evacuation from a flooded area in Kherson. Authorities said that several thousand people were evacuated despite Russian shelling from across the Dnieper River.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-0d94-08db68d1278b_cx0_cy7_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Ukrainian soldiers help unload a local resident from a boat during an evacuation from a flooded area in Kherson. Authorities said that several thousand people were evacuated despite Russian shelling from across the Dnieper River.
![A member of Russia's Emergency Ministry and a local resident carry an elderly woman from the flooded town of Hola Prystan on June 8 following the breach of the Kakhovka dam. The Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnieper River has been hardest hit by flooding, according to Ukrainian officials.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-74d4-08db68c639b1_cx0_cy3_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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A member of Russia's Emergency Ministry and a local resident carry an elderly woman from the flooded town of Hola Prystan on June 8 following the breach of the Kakhovka dam. The Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnieper River has been hardest hit by flooding, according to Ukrainian officials.
![An elderly woman holds a disabled relative as they are evacuate from a neighborhood in Kherson. Rescuing elderly people is more complex because many are frail, have difficulties communicating their locations, and have limited mobility. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-b427-08db68add3e3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An elderly woman holds a disabled relative as they are evacuate from a neighborhood in Kherson. Rescuing elderly people is more complex because many are frail, have difficulties communicating their locations, and have limited mobility.
![Valentyna, who spent two days trapped on a roof in the Russian-controlled town of Hola Prystan, reacts after being evacuated to a safe area. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-4180-08db68c639ab_cx17_cy11_cw80_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Valentyna, who spent two days trapped on a roof in the Russian-controlled town of Hola Prystan, reacts after being evacuated to a safe area.
![Members of Russia's Emergency Ministry evacuate elderly residents with an inflatable boat on the Russian-occupied side of Kherson. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-dad5-08db68bf6fd6_cx0_cy6_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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Members of Russia's Emergency Ministry evacuate elderly residents with an inflatable boat on the Russian-occupied side of Kherson.
![People sit on an inflatable boat after being evacuated from Hola Prystan.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-8f3f-08db68c9983f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People sit on an inflatable boat after being evacuated from Hola Prystan.
![People help an elderly man onto a boat in a flooded neighborhood of Kherson. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-fcc6-08db68c03ace_cx0_cy8_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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People help an elderly man onto a boat in a flooded neighborhood of Kherson.
![An elderly woman kisses a Ukrainian soldier after she was evacuated from a flooded area in Kherson.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-5242-08db68d1279a_cx8_cy9_cw84_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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An elderly woman kisses a Ukrainian soldier after she was evacuated from a flooded area in Kherson.
![A view of Kherson's flooding. In spite of shelling, rescue efforts are still ongoing.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-10f7-08db68bf6fcc_cx0_cy8_cw0_w1024_q10_r1_s.jpg)
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A view of Kherson's flooding. In spite of shelling, rescue efforts are still ongoing.