At least 15 Rohingya refugees have been killed and more than 26,000 people affected after days of heavy rain triggered landslides, flash floods and severe weather across the Rohingya camps in southeastern Bangladesh, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

According to UNHCR Bangladesh, the extreme weather between the night of July 4 and midday on July 9 left 15 people dead, 18 injured, and 26,119 refugees affected. A further 4,307 people were temporarily displaced as shelters and critical infrastructure were damaged.

In a situation update released on Thursday, UNHCR said 286 weather-related incidents were recorded during the reporting period, including 95 landslides, 156 strong wind incidents, and 21 flash floods.

The agency said 2,809 refugee shelters were partially damaged, while 13 shelters were completely destroyed. Schools, health facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure, and other essential community services also sustained significant damage.

UNHCR said humanitarian agencies are working in coordination with the Government of Bangladesh to carry out emergency response operations, including search and rescue, relocation of affected families to safer areas, and the provision of food, medical care, emergency shelter, and other lifesaving assistance.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall through July 11, raising concerns over additional landslides and flash flooding in the camps, UNHCR warned.

Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh Ivo Freijsen said the recent deaths caused by a madrasa collapse, landslides and flash floods underscore the extreme vulnerability of the more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in one of the world's most densely populated refugee settlements.

"The recent tragedies once again demonstrate the severe risks Rohingya refugees face every monsoon season," Freijsen said.

He added that insufficient funding, limited access to safer land, and the absence of long-term planning continue to hamper effective disaster risk reduction efforts. These constraints have also limited opportunities to build safer infrastructure and reduce overcrowding in high-risk areas.

Freijsen said UNHCR would continue working with the Bangladeshi authorities and humanitarian partners to strengthen protection measures and advocate for the resources, land, and long-term planning needed to improve the safety and resilience of Rohingya refugees.

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