UN Steps Up Relief Effort for Rohingya Fire Survivors
Voice of America
GENEVA - A huge relief operation is under way to support tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees affected by a massive blaze last week in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
An estimated 48,000 Rohingya lost their shelters in the fire that ripped through parts of Kutupalong-Balukhali, the world's largest refugee camp. The camp houses some 600,000 Rohingya refugees who fled violence and persecution in Myanmar in August 2017. The U.N. refugee agency reports the Rohingya are being sheltered temporarily on site with family and friends while housing and other vital infrastructure, including hospitals, learning centers and aid distribution points, are being rehabilitated. UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic says his agency and partners are distributing thousands of relief items to the refugees, and mobile medical teams are helping those in need of first aid. He says more than 4,000 refugees affected by the fire are being treated for psychological distress.FILE - Indian players celebrate after beating Pakistan during T20 World Championship Cricket competition in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sept. 24, 2007. Pakistan's Shadab Khan, second right, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Michael Bracewell during the fifth T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Lahore, Pakistan, April 27, 2024.
FILE - This undated photograph handed out by French military shows Russian mercenaries boarding a helicopter in northern Mali. In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Guinea's foreign minister Morissanda Kouyate shake hands near a portrait of Guinea's President Mamadi Doumbouya in Conakry, Guinea, on June 3, 2024.
FILE - An Iranian woman holds a poster of the late President Ebrahim Raisi during a mourning ceremony for him at Vali-e-Asr square in downtown Tehran, Iran on May 20, 2024. FILE - The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi takes off at the Iranian border with Azerbaijan after President Raisi and his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev inaugurated dam of Qiz Qalasi, or Castel of Girl in Azeri, Iran, on May 19, 2024.