BANGKOK: A massive fire destroyed hundreds of makeshift homes and displaced more than 2,000 people in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, prompting calls Thursday from relief agencies for more funding to build safer housing and help provide emergency aid.
The fire broke out in the early morning hours of Tuesday in Camp 16, one of more than 30 camps in the Cox’s Bazar district that make up the world’s largest refugee centre, housing more than 1 million Rohingya who have fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. The United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration said it had created a new crisis for families already struggling to survive.
“When fires strike in overcrowded camp settings, the impact extends far beyond damaged infrastructure,” said Lance Bonneau, IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh, in a statement. “Families lose shelter, essential belongings, and access to basic services, increasing immediate protection risks.” It took firefighters about three hours to bring the blaze under control. While there were no fatalities and only a handful of minor injuries, many people lost not only their homes but also all their possessions, including identity documents and other important papers, the Norwegian Refugee Council told The Associated Press on Thursday. The aid organisation is among others operating inside the Cox’s Bazar camps. Overall, the fire, whose cause has not yet been determined, destroyed 335 shelters and damaged 72 more, the organisation said. It also damaged water and sanitation points in the camp, 11 learning centres, and camp infrastructure and pathways. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2017 after the military launched a brutal crackdown on the
Muslim minority group following insurgent attacks on guard posts in Rakhine state.