on 7- January- 2024

EMERGENCY APPEAL 

Urgent Humanitarian Aid Required After Devastating Fire in Cox Bazar Refugee Camp

Early this morning, a massive fire broke out in Cox's Bazar, the world's largest refugee camp. The fire was one of two this week. The second fire has left 2,000 families homeless and burnt 897 homes, 15 schools, and 3 places of worship.

The fire broke out at 1:00 am. The official reason remains unclear but an R4R's resource on the ground reports that it could be a gas leak. The fire continued for three hours, after which the Bangladesh Fire Service Department and Rohingya volunteers were able to control the fire. Casualties remain unclear. 

Such fire accidents are frequent in refugee camps, with another fire having broken out only a few days before Sunday. Camps in the third world have become fire hazards. Refugees live in overcrowded quarters with dangerous electrical wiring and no proper gas checks since they can only afford to live in makeshift tents instead of safely constructed houses. In case of fire, there is no rescue plan, no fire-fighting equipment with refugees, and no local task force assigned to mitigate damage. 

Rohingya Human Rights Initiative would like to appeal to humanitarian and civil society organisations to:

  • Aid refugees who lost their homes through emergency shelter, distribution of food, clean water, and medical assistance
  • Ensure gas and electricity safety checks in the camps
  • Provide fire-fighting equipment to each family 
  • Develop and disseminate a rescue/emergency plan 
  • Support the education of the students whose schools were burnt

For further information please contact Rohingya Human Rights Initiative. Every contribution will make a significant difference in offering hope and assistance to those in desperate need during this challenging time.

info@rohringya.org/ +919971599299