Rohingya child killed in fire at Bangladesh refugee camp

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A Rohingya child was killed and several others were injured in a fire at a Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh, an official told Anadolu Agency.

“We have been confirmed about the death of a Rohingya child and damage to about 300 tents in Cox’s Bazar. We will investigate the incident to ascertain the cause of the fire,” Shamsud Douza Nayan, additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told Anadolu Agency.

He said that six units of the fire service and civil defense were engaged in extinguishing the fire.

Rohingya refugees have been living in congested makeshift settlements in Bangladesh and have witnessed frequent incidents of fire.

On Jan. 9, a fire ripped through a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, gutting nearly 1,000 tents and leaving thousands of refugees homeless.

More than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women, and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, according to Amnesty International, pushing the number of persecuted people in Bangladesh above 1.1 million.