UK emergency convoy departs for Ukraine after destruction of Kakhovka dam

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - An emergency convoy of trucks carrying vital flood equipment left the UK for Ukraine on Thursday to help with recovery efforts following the destruction last week of the Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region, said the British government.

The trucks departed from the Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

"The donated equipment includes three high volume pumps, six mobile pumps that can be used to pump water out of affected areas, and 15 kilometers of temporary barriers, which can be used to deflect water and protect critical infrastructure," according to a statement.

The UK also sent an additional convoy of life-saving equipment which set off from Ashford in Kent earlier this week.

"The images coming from Kherson following the devastation around the Nova Kakhovka Dam are heartbreaking. We can only begin to imagine the impact on communities of this flooding," Environment Agency Chief Executive John Curtin noted in the statement.

According to the government, the latest aid package is part of the UK’s total economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine, which so far amounts to £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) and has paid for the delivery of more than 11 million medical items as well as food supplies, ambulances and shelter kits.

The UK is also set to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference on June 21-22, bringing together world leaders, business chief executives, non-governmental organizations and officials of the Ukrainian government to discuss how to rebuild and strengthen the country’s economic outlook.

According to the European Commission, Kyiv needs an additional $14 billion in urgent aid to recover from the damage caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

At least 10 people died and over 3,500 were evacuated in southern Ukraine after explosions at the Kakhovka dam and Nova Kakhovka hydropower plant last week caused flooding.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of destroying the dam.