7 Dead, Tens Of Thousands Flee Huge Fire At Rohingya Camp In Bangladesh

Nearly one million of the persecuted Muslim minority -- many of whom escaped a 2017 crackdown that UN investigators concluded was executed with "genocidal intent" -- live in squalid conditions at the camps in southeastern Cox's Bazar district.

A huge fire that swept through parts of the world's biggest refugee camp in Bangladesh has claimed at least seven lives and destroyed the shanty homes of tens of thousands of Rohingya who fled a brutal military-led offensive in neighbouring Myanmar. Nearly one million of the persecuted Muslim minority -- many of whom escaped a 2017 crackdown that UN investigators concluded was executed with "genocidal intent"  -- live in squalid conditions at the camps in southeastern Cox's Bazar district. The fire broke out Monday and left at least 50,000 people homeless as it ripped through their flimsy bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelters, according to police and aid groups. Terrified families fled with whatever they could carry. It was just the latest blaze in recent weeks -- and the biggest since 2017. Bangladesh has ordered a probe.