Landslide kills 8 madrasa students in Rohingya camp

At least eight Rohingyas, including seven child students and a teacher, were killed after a landslide buried a madrasa and Hifz centre at the Kutupalong Rohingya Camp in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, on Wednesday.

Five others were rescued alive and admitted to different hospitals, while more than 15 students were still reported missing as rescue operations continued.

The incident occurred at around 2:30pm in Block A-3 of Camp-5 during heavy rainfall, when a large section of a nearby hill collapsed onto the women's madrasa and Hifz centre.

More than 40 students were attending classes when the landslide struck.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman confirmed the casualties.

He said volunteers from the camp launched rescue efforts immediately after the incident before firefighters arrived and intensified the operation.

"So far, eight bodies have been recovered, including those of seven child students and one teacher. Five people have been rescued alive and admitted to hospitals," he said.

Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Panna Akter said fire service personnel, members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and camp volunteers were continuing rescue efforts at the site.

"We are at the scene and the rescue operation is still underway. The exact number of casualties will be known after the operation is completed," she said.

Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Officer, Dollar Tripura, said rescuers had recovered eight bodies and rescued five people alive from the debris.

He added that parents had reported more than 15 students still missing, and firefighters were carefully removing layers of earth to search for survivors.

Authorities believe continuous heavy rainfall had weakened the hillside adjoining the learning centre, triggering the collapse.

Witnesses said more than 40 female students were studying the Quran at the madrasa when the landslide occurred. A few managed to escape, but many others were trapped under mud and debris. Initial reports suggested that at least 10 students escaped safely.

The latest tragedy comes just days after another series of landslides in Rohingya camps. Eight Rohingyas, including women and children, were killed in separate landslides in Camps 7, 11 and 15 in Ukhiya early Monday.

Elsewhere in Cox's Bazar, three more people died in landslides in Cox's Bazar Sadar and Pekua, while one person was killed in a wall collapse and two children drowned during the past two days of continuous heavy rain.