COX’S BAZAR: A fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh today, destroying hundreds of homes, according to officials and witnesses, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The blaze hit Camp 16 in Cox’s Bazar, a border district where than a million Rohingya refugees live, with most having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

Mohammed Shamsud Douza, a Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees, said emergency workers were trying to bring the fire under control.

The cause of the blaze has not been established, he added.

“The fire is still spreading. Please pray for us,” said Abu Taher, a Rohingya refugee.

Another blaze tore through a Covid-19 treatment centre for refugees in another refugee camp in the district last Sunday, causing no casualties.

A devastating fire last March at Balukhali in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, killed at least 15 refugees and burned down more than 10,000 shanties.