At least six Rohingya Muslims, including children, were killed and several others injured on Tuesday (July 27) after heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, officials said.
Video footage showed the damage and destruction in parts of the Kutapalong refugee camp, with people searching for their belongings after the landslide.
Onno van Manen, country director of Save the Children Bangladesh, said two children were killed after a rain-soaked hill collapsed on top of their shelter, burying them underneath.
Onlookers stand as Rohingya refugees work amid the debris of houses in Balukhali camp on July 27, 2021 that were damaged after monsoon rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the hilly settlements killing at least six. (Photo by Tanbir Miraj / AFP)
Nearly one million Rohingya live in crowded camps in the border district of Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, after fleeing a military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar in 2017.
Rohingya refugees mostly live in shacks made of bamboo and plastic sheets that cling to steep, bare hills, and flooding has further worsened their living conditions.
The Bangladesh weather office said it expected heavy rains to continue for the next few days.
