Bangladesh Rohingya Refugees Camp Fire Cause Thousands Homeless

Cox’s Bazar, MINA – Thousands of Rohingya have been left homeless after a fire gutted parts of their refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh.

“About 1,200 houses were burnt in the fire,” said Kamran Hossain, a spokesman for the Armed Police Battalion, which heads security in the camp on Sunday, as quoted from Al Jazeera.

The fire started at Camp 16 and raced through shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin, leaving more than 5,000 people homeless, he said.

“The fire started at 4:40pm [10:40 GMT] and was brought under control at around 6:30 pm,” he said.

“Mohammed Shamsud Douza, a Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees, said emergency workers had brought the fire under control. The cause of the blaze has not been established,” he added

Bangladesh has been praised for taking in refugees who fled across the border from Myanmar, but has had little success finding them permanent homes.

Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have for years sailed to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia to look for refugees.

Last month, Indonesia allowed a boat packed with Rohingya refugees, which had become stranded off its coast, to dock after calls from aid organisations to allow the vessel to seek refugees. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)