Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
A Rohingya child went missing in one of the Bangladesh camps on Friday after being swept away by the floods that have been affecting various camps since last month due to heavy rains.
The Arakan News Agency correspondent reported that 14-year-old Abdullah fell into a small waterway in the “Kutupalong” camp while collecting spinach leaves. The water current rapidly increased due to the heavy rains, carrying away the child who was unable to resist the waters.
Eyewitnesses stated that a woman saw the child struggling with the current and called for help. Two men jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue the child, but they could not withstand the strength of the current, and the child slipped from their hands after a rescue attempt lasting three hours.
Since then, many camp residents have joined in an extensive search operation for the missing child or his body, as his fate remains unknown. The incident highlights the importance of improving safety measures within the camps and providing support to families and children during the rainy season, which is fraught with natural disasters and accidents claiming lives.
Since the end of May, the Rohingya camps have experienced heavy rains and massive floods, causing widespread destruction in addition to the death and injury of many. The camps have witnessed the death of a young man and the injury of a child due to a wall collapse caused by the rains, along with 11 refugees being injured by lightning strikes that hit several Rohingya camps. Another child has died, and another is missing after being swept away by floodwaters.
Bangladesh hosts over a million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar due to a genocide campaign launched against them by the Myanmar army in 2017. The waves of their displacement increased after renewed fighting between the Myanmar army and the Arakan Army (separatist) in November 2023, involving violence, displacement, and forced conscription.
