Massive flooding due to Ukraine dam breach kills 9

KIEV: Massive flooding due to the breaching of a major dam in southern Ukraine earlier this week, has killed nine people in the town of Oleshky, Mayor Yevhen Ryshchuk confirmed.

While confirming the fatalities on Thursday, the Mayor said that "we believe that these are not the last victims of this flooding", reports Xinhua news agency.

Hundreds of people remained on rooftops of flooded houses waiting to be rescued, he added.

Oleshky, which is located some 60 km southwest of the Nova Kakhovka dam, is currently controlled by Russian forces.

The breach of the dam and the subsequent destruction of a hydro-electric power plant in the Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovka region in the early hours of Tuesday, have led to mass evacuations as water levels downstream rapidly increased.

Officials have said that 30 towns and villages along the river have been flooded and nearly 2,000 homes have been submerged in the city of Kherson -- the region's capital controlled by Ukraine.

Of the 30 flooded towns and villages, 20 are controlled by Ukraine and 10 are occupied by Russia.

Kiev and Moscow have traded accusations over the dam's destruction, without providing concrete proof that the other is culpable.

It is not yet clear whether the dam was deliberately attacked or whether the breach was the result of structural failure.