BURNED: The refugees at Cox’s Bazar are divided into 34 camps, and at least four of them are now almost completely destroyed. Satellite images show the enormous destruction after the ravages of the fire. Foto: Planet Labs Inc
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The fire engulfed schools, hospitals and homes of thousands of vulnerable Rohingya refugees. An employee of Amnesty International in South Asia now fears that the fire was started.
Less than 40 minutes ago
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– Many hundreds of people are still missing. We know that about 15 people have lost their lives. Hundreds of children have strayed from their families.
American Bernard Wiseman (32), responsible for MSF projects in Cox’s Bazar camp in Bangladesh, tells VG.
He witnessed how large parts of the refugee camp this week were extinguished by flames in a massive fire and the desperation that followed.
BACKGROUND: Major fire in refugee camp in Bangladesh
– Now thousands of people are without a place to live. It is reported that several of the refugees from the camp sleep along the roads without a roof over their heads, Wisemann says.
Monday’s fire is said to be the worst in the camp since 2017. The fire ravaged brutally for almost ten hours. The UN estimates that over 50,000 rohingya refugees are without a place to live and at least 400 people are missing.
In addition to this, four of Unicef’s schools were also destroyed. Several MSF hospitals and health services were also taken by the fire.
– I am worried that several of our clinics in the camp have now burned down and that people have therefore lost important health facilities, Wisemann says.
– Symptom of how much is problematic
More than one million Rohingya Muslims live in the flimsy and flammable buildings in the huge camps around 300 kilometers from the capital Dhaka. Nearly 750,000 of them crossed the border after the military in Myanmar attacked them in 2017.
The refugees at Cox’s Bazar are divided into 34 camps, and at least four of them are now almost completely destroyed.
Wisemann is concerned that this will not be the last fire they witness.
– We have had fires here before, but I have never seen anything like this. The problem is that even a small kitchen fire can be fatal due to miserable living conditions and infrastructure in the camp, he explains.
—-IN FIELD: Bernard Wiseman (32), responsible for MSF’s projects at Cox’s Bazar Camp in Bangladesh, was involved in evacuating several of the most critically ill patients in the camp when the fire broke out. Photo: MSF
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– The fire emphasizes the need for better facilities and is a symptom of how much is problematic here. The camp is described as temporary, but there are still no further plans to improve conditions for the thousands of people who live here, the project manager continues.
The fire was the third in the camps in four days. Wisemann tells VG that the people in the refugee camp are becoming increasingly frustrated, which has also led to the violence having increased recently.
Fear the fire was put out
– The fire is another crushing blow to the Rohingya refugees who live here. The risk of fire in these densely populated and cramped areas is enormous, writes Save the Children after the fire.
One of the organization’s aid workers, Tayeba Begum, says people were screaming and running in all directions, including children calling for their families.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but an employee of Amnesty International in South Asia suggests that it may have been started.
“The frequency of fires in the camps is too random, especially when the results of previous investigations into the incidents are not known, and it continues to be repeated,” Saad Hammadi wrote on Twitter.
In recent months, Bangladeshi authorities have tried to persuade refugees to move to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, but many are reluctant as it is highly prone to cyclones and floods. So far, 13,000 Rohingya have moved to the island.
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