Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Thousands flee 'massive fire' at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh

Thousands flee 'massive fire' at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh

At least 20,000 Rohingya have fled a huge blaze engulfing shanty homes at refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, officials said Monday, in the third fire to hit the settlements in four days.

Nearly one million of the Muslim minority from Myanmar live in cramped and squalid conditions at the camps in the Cox's Bazar district, with many fleeing a military crackdown in their homeland in 2017.


Officials said the fire was believed to have started in one of the 34 camps -- which span about 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) of land -- before spreading to two other camps.

Thick columns of smoke could be seen billowing from blazing shanties in video shared on social media, as hundreds of firefighters and aid workers battled the flames and pulled the refugees to safety.

"It is a massive fire. At least 20,000 people fled their homes as the fire spread," Cox's Bazar administrator, Mamunur Rashid, told AFP.

"We doused the fire in one place and it spreads to other places."

Rashid said there were no reports so far of injuries or deaths.

Officials told AFP a preliminary assessment found that more than 900 shanties -- home to about 7,400 refugees -- had been gutted, with the blaze still burning.

Mohammad Yasin, a Rohingya helping with the firefighting, told AFP the blaze was still raging eight hours after it started and was the worst he had seen since 2017.

A Save the Children volunteer, Tayeba Begum, said "people were screaming and running here and there (and) children were also running scattered crying for their family".

It was the third blaze to hit the camps in four days, fire brigade official, Sikder, who only goes by one name, told AFP.

Two separate fires at the camps on Friday destroyed scores of shanties, officials said then.

Sikder said the cause of the fires were not yet known.

Two big blazes had also hit the camps in January, leaving thousands homeless and gutting four UNICEF schools.

Amnesty International's South Asia campaigner, Saad Hammadi, tweeted that the "frequency of fire in the camps is too coincidental, especially when outcomes of previous investigations into the incidents are not known and they keep repeating".

The government has meanwhile been pushing the refugees to relocate to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, saying the camps were too crowded.

So far, 13,000 Rohingya have been moved to the flood-prone island that critics say is in the path of deadly cyclones.

More For You

Voices of Faith - Day 2: A profound confluence of spirituality, music, and dialogue

Barnaby Rogerson in conversation with Anthony Sattin (L) on day 2 of Voices of Faith

Voices of Faith - Day 2: A profound confluence of spirituality, music, and dialogue

Mahesh Liloriya

The second day of Voices of Faith unfolded with an enchanting blend of music, philosophy, and intellectual exploration at the Barbican Centre, London. This inaugural festival, curated by Teamwork Arts—the force behind the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) and JLF London—has been made possible by the Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust, with the support of Tech Mahindra. Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat serve as the official media partners, amplifying the festival’s reach and resonance.

Session 1- Echoes of eternity: The timeless notes of Kabir

Keep ReadingShow less
starmer-immigration

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Starmer said the government is working to restore order to the immigration system.

UK returns 24,000 illegal migrants since July, highest in eight years

THE UK government has returned over 24,000 individuals with no legal right to remain in the country since July, marking the highest rate of removals in eight years, prime minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Starmer said the government is working to restore order to the immigration system.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Aga Khan dedicated his life to service, peace, and pluralism'

Baroness Patricia Scotland speaks at an Iftar dinner held at the Ismaili Centre in London (Photo: The Ismaili National Council for the United Kingdom)

'Aga Khan dedicated his life to service, peace, and pluralism'

THE outgoing head of the Commonwealth has paid tribute to the late Prince Karim Aga Khan, describing him as a visionary leader whose lifelong dedication to service, peace, and pluralism has left a lasting impact on the world.

Speaking at an Iftar dinner held at the Ismaili Centre in London last Wednesday (26), Baroness Patricia Scotland, who steps down as Commonwealth secretary general on 1 April, reflected on her personal connection with the Aga Khan, recalling their meetings during Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Trump-Getty

Trump has suggested the possibility of a 'great' trade deal that could help the UK mitigate the impact of tariffs he has pledged to introduce. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer, Trump talk trade deal progress in 'productive' discussion

KEIR STARMER and Donald Trump spoke on Sunday about ongoing UK-US trade negotiations, with Downing Street describing the talks as "productive."

Since leaving the European Union, the UK has been working to secure a trade agreement with the United States. Successive British governments have pursued a deal, but it has remained elusive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Myanmar-quake-rescue-Reuters

Rescuers carry the body of a victim during search and rescue operations, following a strong earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30. (Photo: Reuters)

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 1,700, UK pledges £10m in aid

RESCUE efforts continued in Myanmar as residents searched for survivors in collapsed buildings in Mandalay, two days after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country. The disaster has killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and 17 in neighbouring Thailand.

The quake hit near Mandalay on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The tremors caused widespread destruction, damaging buildings, bridges, and roads in the city of more than 1.7 million people.

Keep ReadingShow less