Rohingya Camps Face Deadly Landslides Amid Heavy Rains
Torrential rainfall has triggered devastating landslides in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people and leaving thousands homeless. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported 95 landslides between July 4 and July 9, highlighting the constant danger faced by over 1.4 million Rohingya refugees living in makeshift settlements.
The recent downpours have exacerbated the precarious living conditions. In one tragic incident, five young girls died when a retaining wall collapsed onto a madrasah in Camp 5. Eight other students from the same madrasah remain hospitalized with severe injuries. Days earlier, separate landslide incidents claimed the lives of at least eight individuals, including women and children, in other camps.
These recurring disasters have instilled deep fear among the refugee community. Families are grappling with the loss of loved ones, some of whom were close to completing their religious education. Mohammad Elias, a refugee who fled persecution in Myanmar, expressed the profound despair: “We escaped the Myanmar junta, but here we live in fear of landslides during the monsoon.”
Humanitarian agencies, in collaboration with the Bangladeshi government, are working to provide emergency assistance, including relocation to safer areas, food, and medical care. However, with forecasts of continued heavy rainfall, the risk of further landslides and flash floods remains high.
The situation is particularly concerning for newly arrived refugees who often build homes on hillsides, increasing the danger. In Teknaf, where seven camps house approximately 200,000 refugees, more than 30 landslides have been reported, though no fatalities have occurred there yet. Efforts are underway to relocate families from high-risk zones and to raise awareness about landslide prevention.
