Thousands of Rohingya were left homeless after a fire gutted parts of their refuge camp in southeastern Bangladesh according to polce.
About 850,000 of prerscuted mostly muslim minority, many of whom escaped a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar live in network of camps in Bangladesh’s border district of Cox’s Bazar.
About 1200 houses were burnt in the fire according to Kamran Hossain, a spokesman for the armed police battalion which heads security in the camp.
The fire started at 4:40 pm and was brought under control at around 6:30 pm according to Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees.
“Everything in my house was burned. My baby and wife were out. There were a lot of things in the house” Rashid told reporters.
” I saved 30,000 taka(350 dollars) from working as a day labourer. The money was burned in the fire. I am now under open sky. I lost my dream” he said.
In march last year 15 people died and about 50,000 were left homeless in Bangladesh after a huge fire destoryed Rohingya homes in the world’s biggest refugee settlement.
Mohammad Yasin, 29, bemoaned the lack of fire safty equipment in the camps.” fire occurs here frequently. There was no way we could put out fire. There was no water, my home is burned with my documents I brought from Myanmar. And its cold here” he said.
Bangladesh has done a good job in providing refugees who fled across the border from myanmar with a shelter but finding them permanent homes has been unsuccessful.
Many of the refugees have escaped from Myanmar and sailed to neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Thialand and Indonesia to look for job and refugee.
