Eight killed in landslides at Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

Published 06 Jul, 2026 10:47am 2 min read

At least eight Rohingya Muslims, including some children, were killed and several others injured early on Monday after heavy monsoon rains ​triggered multiple landslides at refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, officials ‌said.

More than 1.2 million Rohingya live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, after fleeing a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are ​accused of being outsiders.

Most families live in makeshift shelters made ​of bamboo and plastic sheets on steep, deforested hillsides that ⁠are highly vulnerable to landslides during the annual monsoon season.

The landslides hit ​four locations across the camps, burying shelters under mud and debris while ​residents were asleep.

A Bangladeshi man was killed, and two family members were injured when part of a hillside collapsed onto their house in Cox’s Bazar, police said.

“Eight people ​have died in landslides caused by heavy rain,” said Tumpa Das, a ​police official in Cox’s Bazar.

She said continued rainfall had increased the risk of further ‌landslides, ⁠with thousands of refugees still living on unstable slopes.

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“We’re moving people out of high-risk areas as quickly as possible to prevent any more casualties,” said Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the Bangladeshi official tasked with refugee relief and ​repatriation.

The deaths come ​as renewed ⁠fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State raises concern of a fresh influx of Rohingya refugees across the border.

Bangladeshi authorities have ​stepped up monitoring along the frontier amid reports of ​people ⁠gathering near the border seeking to enter the country.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecast more heavy rain in the coming days, prompting authorities to remain ⁠on alert ​for additional landslides and flash floods.

Landslides and ​flooding are common during the monsoon season in the refugee camps, often killing people and ​damaging homes, roads and other facilities.

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