Authorities overseeing Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh launched a major relocation effort Thursday, using loudspeakers, volunteers, and community leaders to move residents out of dangerous areas after a series of landslides claimed at least 13 lives in recent days.
The deadliest single incident occurred Wednesday, when monsoon rains triggered a landslide that tore through an Islamic school at a camp in Cox’s Bazar — home to more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled neighboring Myanmar. At least five children perished in that collapse.
A Quran teacher at the school, Begum Jahan, described the moment the building gave way. Students had been getting ready for class when part of the structure suddenly caved in. “Those of us who were on the western side managed to get out, but everyone on the eastern side was buried under the debris,” she said. “Some suffered broken arms, and some of the girls lost their lives.”
Residents of the camp began pulling survivors from the rubble before emergency crews arrived on the scene. Dollar Tripura, who heads the local fire service and civil defense, confirmed Thursday that emergency personnel later took over rescue operations, treating the injured and recovering the bodies. The search was officially called off Wednesday evening.
Jamal Hossain, a Rohingya volunteer who participated in the rescue, said those pulled from the wreckage were transported to a hospital. He noted that all of the fatalities were women, but expressed concern that additional victims may still be buried. “We do not know whether there are any more bodies buried underneath,” he said.
Cox’s Bazar officials said they are moving refugees away from vulnerable hillside areas, with more than 1,000 people already relocated. Authorities acknowledged that many refugees are hesitant to abandon their makeshift shelters, even when warned of danger.
The Bangladesh weather office has warned that additional rainfall is expected in the coming days.
Earlier in the week, landslides struck the same camp area overnight Sunday into Monday, killing at least eight people. Local media, including the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo, reported that at least 22 people across Bangladesh — a delta nation of 170 million — have died in landslides and wall collapses over the past three days, including the deaths at the Cox’s Bazar camps.
Bangladesh has long pressed the international community to support efforts to repatriate the Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, but those efforts remain at a standstill.
