CT Online Desk:

At least 1,500 children lost access to education when 20 of their learning facilities were destroyed in a fire that broke out in Camp 5 of the Cox's Bazar refugee camps on Sunday, said Sheldon Yett, Unicef Representative in Bangladesh, yesterday. Unicef said at least 5,000 Rohingya refugees, including 3,500 children, lost their homes in the fire. As they assess the full extent of the damage, Unicef and partners will construct temporary tents to enable children to learn whilst classrooms are reconstructed. Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Florencia Soto Niño said their colleagues at the UN refugee agency and their partners are responding in the aftermath of the fire that took place in the Cox's Bazar refugee camp. They said nearly 800 shelters are feared to have been destroyed in the fire, and around 120 facilities, including learning spaces, mosques, and health-care centres were also destroyed or damaged.

Refugees displaced by the fire are now staying within the camp's community centres and are being provided with emergency food assistance. "The Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration and other partners, are supporting the Rohingya refugees who lost their shelters and belongings," said the associate spokesperson. The cause of the fire is so far unknown.

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