25 Mar 2021

Devastating losses for Rohingya in Bangladesh fire - NZ aid worker

From Morning Report, 6:14 am on 25 March 2021

A New Zealand aid worker who recently returned from working among Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, is devastated to hear about a fire that has ripped through the refugee settlement, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 15 people.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has said around 50,000 people have been affected by the fire, while at least 400 are still missing.

The Cox's Bazaar refugee settlement is part of a network of camps housing over a million refugees who have fled Myanmar since 2017.

Tearfund's International Programmes Director Carl Adams worked with the refugees for two years, helping to set up medical clinics and over 4000 shelters in the camp, before returning to New Zealand late last year.

He told RNZ reporter Amy Williams that hearing about the fire is heart-breaking.