Eight killed in landslides at Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

At least eight Rohingya, including some children, were killed and several others injured early on Monday after heavy monsoon rains ​triggered multiple landslides at refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, officials ‌said. More than 1.2 million Rohingya live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, after fleeing a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar, where they are ​accused of being outsiders. Most families live in makeshift shelters made ​of bamboo and plastic sheets on steep, deforested hillsides that ⁠are highly vulnerable to landslides during the annual monsoon season. The landslides hit ​four locations across the camps, burying shelters under mud and debris while ​residents were asleep. A Bangladeshi man was killed and two family members were injured when part of a hillside collapsed onto their house in Cox’s Bazar, police said. “Eight people ​have died in landslides caused by heavy rain,” said Tumpa Das, a ​police official in Cox’s Bazar. She said continued rainfall had increased the risk of further ‌landslides, ⁠with thousands of refugees still living on unstable slopes. “We’re moving people out of high-risk areas as quickly as possible to prevent any more casualties,” said Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the Bangladeshi official tasked with refugee relief and ​repatriation. The deaths come ​as renewed ⁠fighting in Myanmar’s Arakan (Rakhine) State raises concern of a fresh influx of Rohingya refugees across the border. Bangladeshi authorities have ​stepped up monitoring along the frontier amid reports of ​people ⁠gathering near the border seeking to enter the country. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecast more heavy rain in the coming days, prompting authorities to remain ⁠on alert ​for additional landslides and flash floods. Landslides and ​flooding are common during the monsoon season in the refugee camps, often killing people and ​damaging homes, roads and other facilities. REUTERS The post Eight killed in landslides at Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh appeared first on DVB.