Landslide Kills Children in Rohingya Camp

At least five children have died after a landslide swept through an Islamic school in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. Heavy monsoon rains triggered the collapse on Wednesday afternoon, leaving classrooms buried under mud and debris.

Rescue teams pulled five injured children from the wreckage, but officials fear more may be trapped. “We suspect others could still be buried,” said Dollar Tripura, chief of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in the area. Operations continued into the evening as emergency crews worked under worsening weather conditions.

The tragedy struck in one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, home to more than a million Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar. Just three days earlier, landslides in the same district killed at least eight people, underscoring the vulnerability of the camps built on unstable hillsides.

Bangladesh’s weather office has forecast further heavy rain in the coming days, raising fears of more landslides. Authorities say they have already relocated over 1,000 people from high‑risk areas, but many refugees are reluctant to leave their makeshift homes despite repeated warnings.

The disaster highlights the precarious conditions faced by the Rohingya community, who remain caught between stalled repatriation talks with Myanmar and the dangers of life in overcrowded camps. Dhaka has long urged the international community to support efforts to return refugees safely, but progress has been slow.

For now, the focus remains on saving lives. Rescue teams continue to search the mud‑covered school, while families across Cox’s Bazar brace for more rain and the possibility of further tragedy.

-2026-07-10