Heavy Rains Trigger Deadly Landslides In Bangladesh Refugee Camps
DHAKA, July 7 (dpa) – At least nine people, including eight Rohingya refugees, were killed in landslides triggered by heavy rain in south-eastern Bangladesh, officials said on Monday.
Rescue workers recovered the bodies of the Rohingya victims from beneath the mud after their thatched homes were buried in two refugee camps in Cox's Bazar district, said Dollar Tripura, head of the local Fire Service and Civil Defence rescue unit.
The camps are located more than 300 kilometres south-east of the capital, Dhaka.
A ninth victim was killed in Cox's Bazar town, a major tourist destination, according to local police.
More than 1 million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar after fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. More than 750,000 crossed into Bangladesh following a military crackdown in Myanmar's northern Rakhine State in August 2017.
Most refugees live in makeshift shelters of bamboo and tarpaulin built on steep hillsides across the sprawling camp complex in the Ukhiya and Kutupalong areas, leaving them particularly vulnerable to landslides during the annual monsoon.
Authorities had warned residents of the risk of landslides and flash floods and urged them to move to safer ground.
Cox's Bazar has been battered by heavy rain in recent days. The local meteorological office recorded more than 150 millimetres of rainfall in the 24 hours to Monday morning and forecast further rain on Tuesday.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the heavy rainfall had triggered landslides and flooding across the Rohingya camps, causing deaths and injuries.
"Our thoughts are with the affected families," the UNHCR said in a post on X.
--NNN-dpa