COX’S BAZAR – Thousands of Rohingya refugees began rebuilding their makeshift homes after a fire ripped through a Bangladeshi refugee camp, killing at least 11.
Monday’s blaze left 339 missing, according to the United Nations, with tens of thousands left without shelter in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar district, where more than a million Rohingya live after fleeing persecution in their native Myanmar.
On Thursday, families left homeless by the fire built shelters using tarpaulin, ropes and bamboo provided by aid groups.
With critical infrastructure including medical facilities and sanitation systems destroyed, fears are rising about the spread of disease.
“We have to act quickly to rebuild not only homes, but the entire infrastructure of damaged areas,” said Snigdha Chakraborty, Bangladesh country manager of aid agency Catholic Relief Services.
The blaze is the latest trauma for many of the refugees, who fled from their homes in western Myanmar when the military there launched an offensive against Rohingya insurgents in 2017.(Reuters)
