Deadly Landslide Strikes Girls’ School in Refugee Camp, Killing Eight Including Teacher

Seven students and a teacher were killed in Bangladesh after a landslide struck a girls’ school within a refugee settlement. The incident occurred at an Islamic teaching center in the coastal city of Cox’s Bazar, where heavy monsoon rains triggered the collapse. Rescue teams swiftly arrived at the scene following reports of debris burying the structure.

Emergency personnel continued urgent operations throughout the night, though it remains uncertain how many individuals were present inside the collapsed building. Local officials confirmed that 13 people were extracted from the mud, with eight pronounced deceased.

The region has endured relentless rainfall since Monday, prompting multiple landslides across Cox’s Bazar. This tragedy adds to the area’s recent history of disaster-related fatalities.

Cox’s Bazar hosts over a million Rohingya refugees, displaced by military violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The area represents the globe’s most extensive refugee community, facing persistent humanitarian challenges.

“Among the victims were children as young as seven and twelve,” revealed Panna Akhter, a district administrator interviewed by BBC Bangla. “The scale of this loss is deeply heartbreaking.”

Four survivors remain hospitalized, receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the collapse. Investigations continue to identify additional causes for the landslide and assess risks during ongoing rescue efforts.

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