UNHCR: 15 Killed And 400 Missing In Rohingya Refugee Camp Fires In Bangladesh

Rohingya Muslim refugee camp in Cox's Bazar Bangladesh. (Wikimedia Commons / Tauheed)

JAKARTA - The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regretted that the fire incident that occurred at Balukhali Camp, Bangladesh was occupied by Rohingya Muslim refugees on Monday, March 22 evening.

Apart from being injured and displaced, UNHCR also said that the fire incident claimed lives and lost hundreds of others. At least 15 people died in this tragic incident.

"It is very big, very devastating. We still have 400 people who have not been found, maybe somewhere in the rubble", said Johannes Van der Klaauw of the UN agency UNHCR, as reported by Reuters.

"UNHCR also received reports that more than 550 people were injured and about 45 thousand others were forced to flee from the refugee camps", added Van der Klaauw.

Earlier, a fire broke out in the Balukhali Camp which is occupied by Rohingya Muslim refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on Monday night. Witnesses said several people died in the fires that left many Rohingya Muslim refugees without shelter.

Witnesses said the barbed wire fence around the camp trapped many people, causing several fatalities. Meanwhile, several international humanitarian organizations asked the refugees to be moved.

"The cause of the fire is still unknown. Authorities are investigating to determine the cause of the fire", said senior Bangladesh police official Zakir Hossain Khan.

Humanitarian organization Refugees International estimates 50,000 people have taken refuge in overcrowded camps hosting more than one million Rohingya refugees.

"Many children are missing, and some are unable to escape because of the barbed wire installed in the camp", he said in a statement.