Several people have been left dead and thousands have lost their homes as massive fire erupted at a refugee camp and spread across multiple settlements.
The devastating blaze takes place at refugee camps in Bangladesh where more than 20,000 Rohingya were forced to run for their lives after a fire erupted in one of the 34 settlements located in the southeast of the country.
The Rohingya people are known as a stateless ethnic group of the Muslim religion. In 2017, amid Myanmar’s crackdown on the ethnic group in the country, over 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh where they sought refuge in settlements spanning 8,000 acres of land.
According to the reports, the fire started in one of these refugee camps, whereas the blaze quickly spread to three other settlements, prompting tens of thousands to flee for their lives.
As of this writing, at least five people, including three children, are feared dead and the condition of many more remains unknown.
“It is a massive fire. At least 20,000 people fled their homes as the fire spread,” Mamunur Rashid, the administrator of the Cox’s Bazar district, told AFP. “We doused the fire in one place and it spreads to other places.”
While police inspector Gazi Salahuddin went on to confirm the rumors that several people died in the fire, he explained that official statements will have to wait until the bodies of the victims are recovered.
The officials also confirmed that the fire, which was initially small, spread throughout the camp and to three other settlements after cooking gas cylinders exploded.
“People were screaming and running here and there, children were also running scattered crying for their family,” Tayeba Begum of Save the Children expressed.
Our thoughts are with the people affected by the massive blaze.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends. For more news and stories, follow us on Facebook!
Replaced!