FLOODWATERS from a collapsed dam kept rising in southern Ukraine today, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes in a major emergency operation as shelling continued.

Civilians in Kherson were scrambling to get out of the danger zone, climbing onto military trucks or rafts during the disaster response while artillery shelling fell.

The Kakhovka dam was blown up on Tuesday, leaving some residents spending the night on rooftops as the floodwaters continued to swell.