Eight people, including seven young students and a teacher, have tragically died after a landslide engulfed a girls' school in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the coastal city of Cox's Bazar, following days of relentless monsoon rains that have battered the region.
Rescuers worked frantically to pull people from the mud and debris that buried the Islamic study centre. Thirteen individuals were recovered from the school hut, with eight confirmed fatalities. The deceased students were aged between seven and twelve years old. The remaining five children rescued from the site were taken to hospital for urgent medical attention.
The devastating landslide is one of several reported in Cox's Bazar since Sunday, a period marked by intense rainfall across the country. Earlier reports indicated that at least eight other Rohingya refugees, including five children, had also lost their lives in separate landslide incidents over the same timeframe.
Cox's Bazar is home to the world's largest refugee settlement, hosting over one million Rohingya people who fled a violent military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. Many of these refugees live in dire conditions, with makeshift homes constructed from tarpaulin and bamboo often perched on steep, unstable hillsides, making them highly vulnerable to natural disasters like landslides.
Authorities have issued further warnings for potential landslides and floods, as more heavy rain is forecast for the coming days. Families residing in high-risk areas are currently being evacuated to safer locations in an effort to prevent further casualties from the ongoing severe weather conditions.