At least five Rohingya refugees have been killed after a hillside collapsed onto a temporary storm shelter at a refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, with rescue workers continuing to search for anyone still trapped beneath the debris.
The landslide struck Camp-5 in Ukhiya at around 2:30pm on Tuesday after hours of intense rainfall, according to Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman.
Officials said, “A madrasah, which had been serving as a temporary refuge for families seeking protection from the severe weather, was buried when a nearby slope gave way.”
Emergency teams from the Fire Service and Civil Defence recovered five bodies from the site and rescued two people with injuries. Authorities said the number of people who may still be trapped had not been confirmed, as rescue operations continued into the afternoon.
The latest incident comes as prolonged monsoon rain continues to affect Cox’s Bazar, home to one of the world’s largest refugee settlements.
The Cox’s Bazar weather office reported 51 millimetres of rainfall within six hours between 6:00am and midday on Tuesday.
The persistent downpours have significantly increased the risk of landslides across the hilly district, particularly in densely populated refugee camps where many shelters are built on or near unstable slopes.
The disaster follows several other weather-related fatalities in recent days.
On Monday, a series of landslides across the refugee camps claimed the lives of eight Rohingya refugees. Two more people died in separate landslides in Cox’s Bazar town and Pekua.
Earlier this week, another person was killed after a landslide in Cox’s Bazar town, while two children, including a Rohingya child, drowned in floodwaters caused by the continuing heavy rain.
Authorities have urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert as forecasts indicate further rainfall over the coming days.
The rescue operation at Camp-5 remains under way, with emergency responders working to locate any survivors beneath the collapsed earth and debris.
Officials have not ruled out the possibility that the death toll could rise as the search continues.
