Fire services, Bangladesh’s commissioner for refugee aid and repatriation, and rescue and response teams remained at the scene Monday night, still trying to control the fire and prevent it from spreading, the UNHCR said late Monday afternoon local time.
“I am deeply concerned about the impact of a terrible fire today in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,” Vitorino said, adding that “IOM teams and partners are working together to respond to the crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of all. “
Images of witnesses showed a massive fire consuming huts and numerous refugees fleeing on foot. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
“The fire spread so fast that it caught our house before we realized what had happened,” said Tayeba Begum, a volunteer from Save the Children, who saw the fire. “People were shouting and running here and there. Children also run scattered and cry for their family. This is the most horrific incident I have seen recently. ‘
“This is another devastating blow to the Rohingya refugees living here. Just a few days ago, we lost one of our health facilities in another fire. The risks of fires in these extremely densely populated and restricted areas are enormous,” “Van Manen said. .
The estimated number of Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar ranges from 800,000 to more than 900,000, according to the UNHCR and Save the Children.
In 2016 and 2017, Myanmar’s army launched a brutal campaign of murder and arson that forced more than 740,000 Rohingya minorities to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, leading to a genocide case being heard in the International Court of Justice. word. In 2019, the United Nations said a serious human rights violation by the military was continuing in the ethnic states of Rakhine, Chin, Shan, Kachin and Karen.
Myanmar denies the allegations of genocide, and maintains that the “clearance operations” by the military were legitimate counter-terrorism measures.