Rohingya camp fire leaves 15 dead, 400 missing: UNHCR

PBC News: The death toll from the massive fire at Balukhali Rohingya Camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox’s Bazar district rose to 15 with the recovery of four more charred bodies.

The blaze broke out around 4.00pm on Monday that also burned down nearly 11,000 Rohingya shanties and over 100 houses of locals.

However, the UNHCR in a statement issued on Tuesday evening said that based on provisional reports, 15 refugees are confirmed to have lost their lives.

More than 550 have been injured and an estimated 400 people are still missing, said the statement published on the UNHCR’s official website.

While visiting the scene, Chattogram Range DIG M Anwar Hossain said the reasons behind the flame could not be known yet.

A seven-member probe-body has been formed to investigate the incident, he added.

He also informed the affected Rohingya families would be provided with two bundles of CI sheet, cash and food for two months after making a list.

The additional refugee relief and rehabilitation commissioner, Shamsuzzoha Nayan, said works are being carried out to ascertain the extent of damage.

Hundreds of affected  Rohingya people spent night under the open sky on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway. The homeless people have lost all their belongings in the fire.

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhashan Char in Noakhali. The majority of them came here in August 2017, fleeing persecution in their homeland of Rakhine state in Myanmar.