Death toll is likely to increase, says APBn-8 commanding officer

Cox’s Bazar Correspondent:

At least nine people were killed in landslides triggered by moderately heavy rain at Rohingya camps in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday.

The deceased include eight Rohingyas and a Bangladesh citizen.

Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Shamsud Douza said the landslides killed three Rohingyas at Camp-9, four at Camp-10, and one at Camp-8 (east).

Besides, a local individual died at Camp-14, he said.

Additional Deputy Inspector General Md Amir Zafar, commanding officer of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn)-8, said members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence were conducting rescue operations with the help of police and camp dwellers.

The death toll was likely to go up, he added.

Meanwhile, the Met office said 37mm of rainfall was recorded in Cox’s Bazar district in the past 24 hours until 6am on Wednesday.

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char island in Noakhali. Most of the Rohingyas arrived in the country after fleeing a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.