Cox’s Bazar, MINA – A massive fire ripped through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, killing at least two people and destroying more than 1,000 shelters and other buildings, human rights activists and the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday, Middle East Monitor reported.
The fire, which lasted for two hours, broke out at Kutupalong Rohingya Camp in Ukhiya in southeastern Cox’s Bazar district.
Rohingya rights activist Ro Nay San Lwin said: “At least two refugees, including a child, died tragically.”
Firefighters, supported by civil defense and local volunteers, brought the fire under control after two hours.
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“The fire was brought under control thanks to the heroic efforts of the refugee community, Rohingya volunteer firefighters and local firefighters,” the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangladesh said on Monday.
“Urgent humanitarian assistance is urgently needed,” Lwin added.
Bodies of victims were found, but their identities have not been confirmed.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. Locals say the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit or a gas cylinder used for cooking.
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More than 1.2 million Rohingya Muslims have taken shelter in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, who mostly fled Myanmar in August 2017 during a military crackdown that human rights groups have described as genocide. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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