Landslide buries school in Rohingya camp; death toll disputed

A landslide triggered by monsoon rains buried a girls' Islamic school in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Wednesday. The death toll ranges from three to eight fatalities across different reports, highlighting the chaos of the disaster.

The Incident

The collapse occurred around 2:00-2:30 p.m. local time in Camp 5 of the sprawling refugee settlement. The school, a madrasa, was made of bamboo and plastic sheeting. Heavy rainfall that began Sunday caused the hillside to give way.

Conflicting Accounts

Reports differ on the number of victims. La Voz del Interior reports eight killed (seven students and one teacher) and 13 rescued Source: lavozar. Infobae initially reported three children dead Source: infobae1, but a later article states five killed—four minors and one teacher—with 20-22 people inside Source: infobae2. The discrepancy suggests ongoing rescue and identification efforts.

Response and Warnings

Rescuers pulled survivors from the rubble. Authorities have ordered all camp schools closed from Thursday due to continued rain. Already, 20,000 people have been relocated from high-risk areas. The camps, home to over one million Rohingya refugees, are notoriously vulnerable to landslides and fires.

• The region has seen at least 10 previous landslide deaths in recent days Source: lavozar.
• Schools were built on unstable slopes, making them especially dangerous during monsoons.