Heavy monsoon rains have triggered a wave of landslides across the Rohingya  camps in Cox's Bazar, killing at least 15 people and forcing more than 4,300 others from their homes, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Between July 4 and 9, a total of 95 landslides were recorded across the camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf, affecting 26,119 refugees, UNHCR said in a statement issued on Thursday. The agency warned that continued heavy rainfall could trigger more landslides and flash floods in the coming days.

UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh Ivo Freijsen said humanitarian agencies, working alongside the Bangladesh government, are carrying out emergency rescue operations, relocating vulnerable families to safer areas, and providing food, shelter, medical care and other essential assistance.

The latest updates from the Rohingya Coordination Platform (RCP) indicate that flash floods and landslides have caused widespread damage to shelters, learning centres and other critical facilities throughout the camps.

Among the dead were five female students who were killed on Wednesday after a hillside and retaining wall collapsed onto a madrasa in Camp 5's Block A-11 in Ukhiya. Eight other students remain hospitalized with serious injuries.

Earlier this week, eight more refugees, including women and children, died in separate landslides in the Jamtoli, Kutupalong and Balukhali camps.

With more heavy rain forecast, humanitarian agencies warn that millions of refugees living in the overcrowded and hilly camps remain highly vulnerable as the monsoon season continues.

BOB Post