Rescuers race to save pets in submerged Ukraine city after dam collapse

Volunteers evacuate dogs, previously sedated, from a flooded area after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) - Rescue workers are scrambling to save thousands of animals trapped by floodwaters in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson following the destruction of the vast Kakhovka dam some 60 km (37 miles) upstream.

Many dogs, cats and other pets are in peril after owners abandoned them when fleeing floodwaters unleashed by the collapse of the dam. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said "thousands and thousands" of animals were trapped.