Bangladesh fire: Thousands shelterless after blaze at Rohingya camp

Thousands of people have been left without shelter after a massive fire broke out in a crowded Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh.

The blaze, which is now under control, engulfed some 2,000 shelters at Cox’s Bazar camp on Sunday.

It is estimated that about 12,000 people, most of whom escaped violence in neighbouring Myanmar, have had their accommodation destroyed.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear and no casualties have been reported.

The blaze started at about 14:45 local time (08: 45 GMT) and quickly tore through the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelters, an official said.

“Some 2,000 shelters have been burnt, leaving about 12,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals shelterless,” Mijanur Rahman, Bangladesh’s refugee commissioner, told AFP news agency.

The blaze was brought under control within three hours but at least 35 mosques and 21 learning centres for the refugees were also destroyed, he added.

Hrusikesh Harichandan, from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told the BBC there had been “massive damage” to the camp.

He said basic services such as water centres and testing facilities had also been affected.

“My shelter was gutted. [My shop] was also burnt,” Mamun Johar, a 30-year-old Rohingya man, told AFP.

“The fire took everything from me, everything.”

Thick black clouds were seen rising above Camp 11, one of many in the border district where more than a million Rohingya refugees live.

The camps, overcrowded and squalid, are vulnerable to fires.

Between January 2021 and December 2022, there were 222 fire incidents in the Rohingya camps including 60 cases of arson, according to a Bangladesh defence ministry report released last month.

In March 2021, at least 15 people were killed and some 50,000 were displaced after a huge fire tore through a camp in the settlement.

The refugee camp, said to be the world’s largest, houses people who fled from Myanmar following a military crackdown against the Rohingya ethnic minority.

The Rohingya are Muslims in largely Buddhist Myanmar, where they have faced persecution for generations.

The latest exodus of Rohingya escaping to Bangladesh began in August 2017, after Myanmar’s military brutally retaliated when a Rohingya insurgent group launched attacks on several police posts.

Mirabai Chanu: Weightlifter is BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year

Mirabai Chanu has won BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for a second time Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award for 2022 following a public vote.

The 28-year-old Commonwealth champion, who also won in 2021, becomes the first person to take the honour twice.

The other shortlisted contenders were wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshee Malikkh, boxer Nikhat Zareen and badminton player PV Sindhu.

Mirabai Chanu: ‘I got a full diet only twice a week’

Table tennis player Bhavina Patel was named Para Sportswoman of the Year - a category that has been introduced for the first timeafter winning Commonwealth gold.

Patel, 36, said: “It is a gratifying feeling to win this prestigious award, which is part of a wonderful initiative empowering women and sportspersons.

“It is also commendable to see the BBC focusing on Parasport and making India more inclusive.”

Former hockey player and coach Pritam Siwach was given the Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to Indian sports and inspiring generations of players.

The 48-year-old was the first female hockey coach to be presented with the Dronacharya Award, which was founded in 1985 and honours sports coaches in India.

“I want to thank the BBC for selecting me,” she said. “It motivates us when we get such accolades.”

Boxer Nitu Ghanghas was chosen as the Emerging Athlete of the Year.

Ghanghas, 22, is a two-time youth world champion and in 2022 won Commonwealth gold.

The invited audience at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi watched a video message from gymnastics great Simone Biles before Ghanghas walked on stage to collect her award.

Biles said: “Nitu works so hard and proved she was the best in her class at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.”

In response, Ghanghas said: “I am very happy. This will motivate female athletes to perform even better. Last year I was at this ceremony as a guest. So it’s a beautiful experience this year to be a winner. All my energies are now on Olympic preparation.”

India’s Commonwealth gold medal-winning lawn bowls team were also honoured at the ceremony - receiving a special trophy for their historic achievement.

And 95-year-old Bhagwani Devi and 106-year-old Rambai received their Changemaker of the Year awards.

Devi won gold in the 100m sprint at the World Masters Athletics in Finland, as well as bronze in the shot put. Rambai won gold in both 100m and 200m at the 2022 National Open Masters Athletics Championships in Vadodara.

In attendance at the ceremony were Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Dilip Tirkey, former captain of the India men’s national hockey team and current President of Hockey India, Olympic boxing champion Vijender Singh and India’s top-ranked table tennis player Manika Batra.

Source: BBC