Fire at Rohingya Camp
Diplomatic Correspondent
16 January, 2021 12:00 AM
UN agencies have stepped up efforts to help thousands of Rohingyas after a devastating fire tore through a crowded camp in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday, leaving them homeless.
The fire erupted shortly after midnight on Thursday in Nayapara Rohingya camp in the district, gutting about 550 shelters and 150 shops. A community centre is also said to have been destroyed.
About 3,500 Rohingyas, including children, lost their homes and belongings in the blaze in the middle of the winter and amid the coronavirus pandemic, UN agencies said.
No lives were lost, and the fire was brought under control in a few hours by firefighters, volunteers and refugees. The Nayapara camp hosts about 22,500 refugees, of whom about 17,800 are women, children and the elderly.