Landslides at Rohingya camps in Bangladesh kill at least eight people

Heavy rainstorms on Thursday triggered landslides that swept through two Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, killing at least eight people and injuring several others. The tragedy underscores the growing risk that climate‑driven disasters pose to the densely packed settlements that host over a million displaced Rohingya.

Developments across reports

International news agencies reported slightly different casualty figures. Reuters confirmed that eight people died when a mudslide struck the makeshift shelters of the Kutupalong and Balukhali camps. The agency added that rescue teams found several bodies buried under debris and that dozens of families were displaced further by the collapse of temporary structures.

The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper, recorded nine deaths in total, noting that eight of those victims were Rohingya refugees. The outlet said the ninth fatality was a local resident who was swept up while assisting with the rescue effort.

Spanish agency EFE echoed Reuters’ count of eight Rohingya deaths, while a report from “Latest news from Azerbaijan” used the phrasing “at least nine killed” to describe the incident, reflecting uncertainty in the final tally as rescue operations continued.

Al Jazeera’s coverage focused on the broader human impact, describing the event as “refugees killed in landslides at Rohingya camps” without specifying a number, but it cited the same monsoon‑driven landslides that Reuters and other outlets described.

All sources agree that the landslides were triggered by unusually intense rainfall that battered the southeastern coast of Bangladesh for several days. The Daily Star highlighted that the region had experienced “heavy rain” that saturated the hilly terrain surrounding the camps, turning the soil into a slick, unstable mass that gave way under the weight of the makeshift shelters.

Rescue teams, including Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Directorate and volunteers from local NGOs, were dispatched within hours. According to Reuters, officials used boats and helicopters to reach the hardest‑hit zones, while The Daily Star reported that community volunteers helped evacuate families to temporary relief centers set up in nearby schools and mosques.

Why it matters

The Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar are the world’s largest concentration of stateless refugees, a population that arrived in Bangladesh after a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The camps, originally intended as temporary shelters, have evolved into sprawling settlements of tin‑shaded shacks, bamboo structures and densely packed tarps. Their location on the foothills of the Arakan Yoma range makes them especially susceptible to landslides, a risk that has been documented by humanitarian agencies for years.

Climate change is amplifying that risk. Bangladesh sits on the delta of three major rivers and faces some of the world’s most severe monsoon patterns. Recent studies—cited by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs—warn that extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent, increasing the probability of flash floods and slope failures in vulnerable regions. The latest landslides are a stark illustration of those projections.

Beyond the immediate loss of life, the disaster threatens to strain Bangladesh’s already stretched disaster‑response capacity. The country regularly allocates billions of taka to monsoon relief, yet the sheer scale of the refugee population adds a layer of complexity to evacuation, shelter provision and medical care. International donors have pledged additional aid, but coordination challenges persist, as multiple agencies vie to deliver food, clean water and temporary housing to displaced families.

The incident also revives a long‑standing debate about the permanence of the camps. Human rights groups argue that the protracted nature of the Rohingya displacement obliges the Bangladeshi government to transition from emergency shelters to more resilient, flood‑safe housing. However, the government has repeatedly cited land constraints and security concerns as barriers to such a shift.

Reactions and viewpoints

Bangladesh’s Minister of Disaster Management, Mostafa Faruque, told local media that the landslides were “a tragic reminder of the vulnerability of our people and the refugees who share our land.” He emphasized that the government would accelerate the deployment of relief kits and promised to “review the placement of shelters in high‑risk zones.”

Humanitarian organizations expressed both solidarity and criticism. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a statement urging the international community to increase funding for “climate‑adapted shelter solutions” in the camps. A spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies highlighted that “the lack of proper drainage and the hasty construction of shelters on steep slopes contributed to the severity of the landslides.”

Conversely, some local NGOs cautioned against attributing the disaster solely to climate change. A senior officer at BRAC, a Bangladeshi development organization, noted that “poor site planning and the absence of enforced building standards are immediate, addressable factors.” He called for stricter oversight of shelter construction, especially in areas identified as landslide‑prone by geological surveys.

Rohingyan community leaders, speaking through interpreters, pleaded for faster relocation to safer ground. One camp elder, who asked not to be named, said, “We have lived here for years, but the hills are not safe. We need help to move to flat land before the next storm.”

What’s next

Bangladesh’s disaster agency announced a three‑day emergency operation to clear debris, locate missing persons and provide medical assistance. Temporary shelters are being erected on higher ground, and the government is conducting a rapid risk assessment of all camp zones to identify other potential slide sites.

International donors are expected to convene a special funding appeal within the next week, according to UN officials. The appeal will focus on “climate‑resilient shelter kits, early‑warning systems and slope‑stabilization projects” in Cox’s Bazar.

Long‑term, experts suggest that the Rohingya settlement model must be re‑examined. A joint report by the World Bank and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development recommends “phased relocation to flood‑safe, purpose‑built housing” and the integration of “nature‑based solutions such as reforestation on hill slopes.” Implementation, however, will hinge on political will, land availability and sustained financing.

In the meantime, families of the victims are mourning their loss, and the broader refugee community is bracing for the next monsoon season. The landslides have reignited a conversation that blends humanitarian urgency with climate adaptation—a conversation that will shape the future of one of the world’s most protracted displacement crises.