Fire Destroys Thousands of Homes in Rohingya Refugee Camp
2021-01-15
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1A huge fire burned through an area of Bangladesh's Rohingya refugee camp in the early hours of Thursday.
2The fired destroyed about 550 shelters, the poor homes of an estimated 3,500 refugees from Myanmar.
3Another 150 refugee shops also burned to the ground.
4Bangladeshi officials said there were no deaths or injuries.
5A Rohingya refugee in the affected area gave photographs and video recordings of the disaster to Reuters news agency.
6The images show families -- including children -- digging through the smoking ruins of their neighborhood, searching for anything that might still be of value.
7The Rohingya refugee camp is situated near the Bangladeshi coastal city of Cox's Bazar.
8In 2017 it became the largest refugee camp in the world, after at least 750,000 members of the Rohingya minority fled Myanmar.
9They were escaping vicious government attacks on Rohingya people and villages.
10The fire happened in the E-Block area of the Nayapara camp.
11"E block is completely burned down," said refugee Mohammed Arakani.
12"There is nothing left."
13"Everyone is crying," he continued.
14"They lost all their belongings. They lost everything ..."
15The UNHCR said it is providing shelter, clothing, hot meals, and medical care for the refugees in the affected area.
16Experts and officials are investigating the disaster.
17Many aid organizations have established offices in Bangladesh to help the Rohingya refugees.
18The group Save the Children is among them.
19Onno van Manen directs its operations in Bangladesh.
20She called the fire "another devastating blow for the Rohingya people," noting the years of intense hardship they have faced already.
21Mohammed Shamsud Douza is a top Bangladeshi official for refugee issues.
22He said the fire department spent two hours putting out the fire.
23He said the fire grew when gas containers inside the homes began to explode.
24In recent weeks, the Bangladeshi government has moved several thousand Rohingya refugees to a low-lying island in the Bay of Bengal.
25It is far from the mainland. Human rights groups have protested the move saying the island is unsafe during storms.
26They also argue that Bangladesh is forcing the refugees to resettle there.
27Bangladeshi officials deny the accusation.
28I'm Anna Matteo.
1A huge fire burned through an area of Bangladesh's Rohingya refugee camp in the early hours of Thursday. The fired destroyed about 550 shelters, the poor homes of an estimated 3,500 refugees from Myanmar. Another 150 refugee shops also burned to the ground. 2Bangladeshi officials said there were no deaths or injuries. 3A Rohingya refugee in the affected area gave photographs and video recordings of the disaster to Reuters news agency. The images show families -- including children -- digging through the smoking ruins of their neighborhood, searching for anything that might still be of value. 4The Rohingya refugee camp is situated near the Bangladeshi coastal city of Cox's Bazar. In 2017 it became the largest refugee camp in the world, after at least 750,000 members of the Rohingya minority fled Myanmar. They were escaping vicious government attacks on Rohingya people and villages. 5The fire happened in the E-Block area of the Nayapara camp. 6"E block is completely burned down," said refugee Mohammed Arakani. "There is nothing left." 7"Everyone is crying," he continued. "They lost all their belongings. They lost everything ..." 8The UNHCR said it is providing shelter, clothing, hot meals, and medical care for the refugees in the affected area. Experts and officials are investigating the disaster. 9Many aid organizations have established offices in Bangladesh to help the Rohingya refugees. The group Save the Children is among them. Onno van Manen directs its operations in Bangladesh. She called the fire "another devastating blow for the Rohingya people," noting the years of intense hardship they have faced already. 10Mohammed Shamsud Douza is a top Bangladeshi official for refugee issues. He said the fire department spent two hours putting out the fire. He said the fire grew when gas containers inside the homes began to explode. 11In recent weeks, the Bangladeshi government has moved several thousand Rohingya refugees to a low-lying island in the Bay of Bengal. It is far from the mainland. Human rights groups have protested the move saying the island is unsafe during storms. 12They also argue that Bangladesh is forcing the refugees to resettle there. Bangladeshi officials deny the accusation. 13I'm Anna Matteo. 14The Reuters news agency reported this story. Anna Matteo adapted the content for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 15________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17vicious - adj. very violent and cruel 18photograph - n. a picture made by a camera 19devastating - adj. causing great damage or harm 20hardship - n. something that causes pain, suffering, or loss