Heavy rains have fallen for days on Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh. The floods have destroyed houses and sent thousands of people to live with relatives or in large shelters. In a 24 hour period this week, more than 30 centimeters of rain fell on the camps in the Cox's Bazar area. It is where more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees live, the United Nations refugee agency said. In one day, the area received more than half the usual monthly rainfall. There is a prediction of more heavy rain in the coming days. The monsoon season of heavy rains stretches over the next three months. The agency said the situation is even worse because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is currently a strict national lockdown in response to rising cases across the country," the agency said. It said six people died in the camps earlier this week. Five people died in a landslide caused by the rains and a child was carried away by floodwaters. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the heavy rain affected more than 12,000 refugees and it destroyed about 2,500 shelters. More than 5,000 refugees have temporarily moved into other family members' houses or community shelters, the agency said in a statement. Hannah Macdonald, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, said in an email that emergency teams have moved into the camps to help.
