A United Nations official says mines dislodged by the Kakhovka dam breach could float downstream and end up on the beaches of the Black Sea.
Head of UN Mine Action at the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, Paul Heslop, told reporters in Geneva that PMF-1 mines, also known as “butterfly” mines, were light enough to float downstream for large distances.
“I would not be surprised to see that those mines have either got down as far as the sea or over the coming months, as the water is continuing to flow, will be transported down there,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we could see anti-personnel pressure mines washing up on beaches around the Black Sea.”
Henslop said heavier anti-tank mines were less likely to float long distances.
On June 6, an explosion at the Kakhovka dam unleashed floodwaters across the Kherson region, killing over 50 people and destroying homes and farmland.
