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Monsoon Landslides in Cox's Bazar Kill Children and Teacher

Heavy seasonal rains have exposed unstable, deforested camp slopes, forcing evacuations as more downpours are forecast.

Overview

  • A landslide struck an Islamic school in the Cox's Bazar refugee camps on July 8, killing eight people, including seven students and one teacher, and leaving several pupils hospitalized.
  • Rescuers, local volunteers and the Bangladesh Fire Service recovered bodies and treated the injured as operations continued through July 8 and 9.
  • Camp authorities say they have moved more than 1,000 people from high-risk hillside sites using loudspeakers, community leaders and volunteer networks, though many residents have been reluctant to leave.
  • The camps house more than one million Rohingya in densely packed makeshift shelters on deforested, steep slopes, a layout that drives repeated monsoon landslides and flash floods and has caused at least 36 deaths from landslides since 2021, the UN reports.
  • Meteorological agencies warn of further heavy rain across the region, raising the risk of more slides and pressing humanitarian actors and Bangladesh to step up relocations and slope-protection measures while durable solutions remain stalled.