ZCZC
BSS-52
CAMP-FIRE-SUPPORT
$20 mn required to respond to urgent needs of Rohingya fire victims:
IOM
DHAKA, March 24, 2021 (BSS) – About US$ 20 million more is required
to respond to the urgent needs of displaced Rohingyas created due to a
devastating fire that broke out in Cox’s Bazar’s Kutupalong camp,
according to International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“IOM’s emergency fund has pledged US$ one million to the relief efforts.
A further US$ 20 million is required to respond to the most urgent
needs,” IOM said in a statement.
A massive fire swept through three IOM-managed sites on Monday
displacing roughly 45,000 Rohingya refugees and causing catastrophic
damage in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp.
More than 10,000 shelters were damaged in the fire and the IOM’s
largest health centre in the camp was destroyed. The loss of the 24/7
health centre, which served more than 55,000 people in the last year,
now further complicates the challenge of responding to COVID-19.
The fire that raged through the camps only slowed once it reached the
main roads, slopes, canals and rice fields. It has since subsided, but not
before consuming essential facilities, shelters and the personal
belongings of tens of thousands of people.
The reason behind the fire is still unknown. According to humanitarian
agencies and local authorities, 11 people have killed, while more than
500 people injured and roughly 400 were still missing.
“This disaster is a terrible setback that exacerbates the humanitarian
needs of refugees in Cox’s Bazar,” said IOM’s Director General António
Vitorino.
“We will need to start from zero to rebuild. Our hearts are with all those
affected. We are committed to helping them build back safer with the
support of the government of Bangladesh, our donors, partners and
humanitarian actors,” he said.
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