Large Fire at Rohingya Refugee Camp in Bangladesh... 15 Dead, Hundreds Missing

On the 22nd (local time), a large fire broke out at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, with flames soaring high. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] A massive fire broke out in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, resulting in 15 deaths and about 400 people missing.

According to local media on the 23rd, a large fire occurred the previous afternoon at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, southern Bangladesh.

The fire initially started small but spread uncontrollably after a cooking gas cylinder inside a house exploded.

The houses where the refugees live are makeshift structures made of flammable materials and lack proper firefighting facilities, making it difficult to control the flames.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that as of that afternoon, 15 people had died and about 400 were confirmed missing. UNHCR explained that more than 10,000 houses were destroyed, meaning over 45,000 people were displaced.

Authorities deployed numerous fire trucks and personnel to respond. However, the fire was only brought under control after more than 10 hours.

Previously, Bangladesh provided refuge to about 750,000 Rohingya fleeing Myanmar in 2017. They crossed the border into Bangladesh to escape Myanmar military clearance operations.

The number of Rohingya refugees currently living in the Cox's Bazar area is estimated to be about 1 million.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.