Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Five Rohingya refugees were injured and four shelters were damaged on Monday following the collapse of a water tank in the “Kutupalong” refugee camp in the Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh.
A correspondent for the Arakan News Agency reported that all the injured belonged to a single family whose shelter was heavily struck by the falling tank. Among the injured were a four-month-old infant and an elderly couple aged 70 and 75.
According to the report, one of the refugee shelters was completely destroyed in the incident, while three others suffered significant damage and were flooded. Volunteers from the international development organization BRAC provided first aid to the victims and transported them to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Residents stated that the water tank, made of cement and tin, was very old and had not undergone proper maintenance. They believe the explosion was caused by pressure buildup inside the tank, describing the moment of the collapse as terrifying.
The incident disrupted local water supplies, leaving families in the area without access to clean water. Residents are calling on authorities to carry out immediate repairs.
Rohingya camps have witnessed numerous incidents linked to poor maintenance and the inadequate structure of shelters in the face of natural disasters and other threats. Just last month, a young man died and a child was injured when a wall collapsed due to heavy rain, which also destroyed several refugee homes at the end of May.
Bangladesh currently hosts over one million Rohingya refugees in camps across the Cox’s Bazar region, which the United Nations classifies as the world’s largest refugee settlement. Most of them fled Myanmar following a military-led genocide campaign in 2017. The number of refugees has increased further due to renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in November 2023, which has subjected the Rohingya to further violence, displacement, and forced conscription.
