Rohingya camp landslide kills 7 students among 8

At least seven students and a teacher has died in the landslide incident at a madrasa (shelter) in the Rohingya camp in Ukhiya of Cox's Bazar.

Meanwhile, 14 people were rescued alive in the rescue operation. Of them, six are undergoing treatment in the hospital.

Four of the deceased have been identified so far. They are Rashida Begum,13, Umme Nejatul, 13, Umme Salma, 12, and Umaisa Bibi, 13. Among them, Umme Nejatul and Umme Salma are siblings; they are residents of Rohingya Camp-3. The other two are residents of Camp-5. The camp administration said that efforts are underway to identify the rest.

The incident took place in the Block A-3 area of ​​Camp-5 around 2 pm today, Wednesday (July 8). Amidst continuous heavy rain, a large part of the hill suddenly collapsed on the nearby Masjidul Quba Mahila Madrasa and Hefzkhana. Locals said that many of the Rohingyas who were evacuated from the landslide-affected and risky slopes in the past few days were kept in this shelter.

Camp resident Md. Mustafa said that more than 30 to 50 students were taking Quran lessons in the madrasa at the time of the accident. Some sources also claim that there were 80 to 100 children there.

Eyewitnesses said that when the landslide started, some students were able to run out. However, the students who were in the rooms adjacent to the mountain were buried under the mud and soil. After the incident, local residents started the rescue work by removing the soil with their hands. Later, members of the fire service reached the spot and intensified the rescue operation.

Confirming the truth of the incident during the rescue operation, Camp-5 In-Charge (CIC) Mohammad Abdur Rouf said, "The bodies of 5 people have been recovered. Six more people are being rescued and are being treated at the hospital. It is believed that more students are trapped underground." Later, when the bodies of three more people were recovered from the rubble, the death toll rose to eight.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said that the rescue operation is underway with the help of CCCM volunteers under the fire service and camp administration. APBN members are present at the scene and the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Office is overseeing the entire rescue operation and post-accident management.

Maulvi Yunus, a resident of Camp-5, said that the accident occurred just a few minutes before the madrasa was to be dismissed. The madrasa was built by filling the soil.

Earlier, eight Rohingyas died in three landslides in Rohingya refugee camps No. 7, 11 and 15 of Ukhiya late last Sunday night.