U.N. accuses Russia of blocking aid to Kakhovka dam victims

June 19 (UPI) -- The United Nations is accusing Russia of blocking humanitarian aid to Moscow-controlled regions of Ukraine affected by the recent destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

The hydroelectric dam in Russia-occupied Kakhovka in southern Ukraine collapsed June 6 as a result of an explosion. Subsequent flooding of dozens of towns and villages has created an environmental disaster and a climbing death toll.

As of Sunday, at least 52 people had died, including 35 in Kremlin-held areas, according to Russian state-run TASS, and 17 in Kyiv-maintained regions. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said 31 people remain unaccounted for.

Though evidence suggests that Russia is to blame, Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations.

On Sunday, Denis Brown, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said the group has been engaging with both governments concerning the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need, but Russia as declined requests for access to areas under its military occupation.

"The U.N. will continue to seek the necessary access," Brown said in a statement. "We urge the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

"Aid cannot be denied to people who need it. The U.N. will continue to do all it can to reach all people -- including those suffering as a result of the recent dam destruction -- who urgently need life-saving assistance, no matter where they are."

The accusation comes after the United Nations on Friday said hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine have been affected by water shortages due to the dam breach.

Saviano Abreu, head of communications for the U.N. aid coordination office, said some 200,000 people in the Dnipro region alone have been cut off from water from their houses, but that number could rise to higher than 700,000 as the reservoir was the main water source for a large swath of southern Ukraine.