At least eight people, including women and children, have been killed in separate landslides at Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, following heavy rainfall.
The landslides occurred at four locations in the Balukhali, Kutupalong and Jamtoli refugee camps between 1:00 am and 3:00 am on Monday.
Several others were injured after being buried under the debris. Rescue operations are being carried out by members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), the Fire Service and Civil Defence, and Rohingya volunteers.
Dollar Tripura, an official of the Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, confirmed the deaths. He said eight people had died in landslides caused by heavy rain, adding that continued rainfall has heightened the risk of further landslides, as many Rohingya refugees live on unstable hillsides.
Assistant Meteorologist Md Abdul Hannan of the Cox’s Bazar Meteorological Office said the heavy rainfall was being caused by a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal and an active monsoon. He warned that heavy to very heavy rain could continue for another two days.
Rohingya community leader Akhtar Kamal said a landslide struck Block D-6 of Jamtoli Refugee Camp (Camp-15) at around 1:30 am. A section of hillside collapsed onto the home of Rohingya refugee Kamal Hossain.
Kamal Hossain, 44, his wife Humayra Begum, 39, and their four-year-old son Mohammad Anas were killed while they were asleep. Firefighters and Rohingya volunteers recovered their bodies after removing the debris during the night. Two other members of the family were injured and admitted to hospital.
At around 2:00 am, another landslide hit Block D-7 of Kutupalong Refugee Camp (Camp-7), killing seven-year-old Md Ekram, the son of Rashid Ullah.
At approximately 3:30 am, a separate landslide in Block C-11 of Balukhali Refugee Camp (Camp-11) claimed the lives of four members of the same family. The victims were Umme Habiba, 27, her sister Tanzina Akter, 13, and her younger brothers Harunur Rashid, 3, and Mohammad Rihan, 5.
Fire Service official Dollar Tripura said two rescue units were dispatched immediately after receiving reports of the landslides. Working with Rohingya volunteers, rescuers continued operations until dawn and recovered the bodies of all eight victims.
Following the 2017 Rohingya influx, around 34 refugee camps were established after clearing nearly 8,000 acres of forest in Ukhiya and Teknaf. There are currently about 1.45 million registered Rohingya refugees living in 33 camps, with an estimated 80,000 residing in areas vulnerable to landslides. Fatal landslides occur almost every monsoon season in the camps.
