1 dead, 2 injured in stampede during Iftar at Rohingya refugee camp

At least one person has died and two others have been injured in a stampede, as over a million Rohingya gathered for an Iftar at the Ukhiya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.

The incident occurred in the Dummy Hill (helipad) area of the Ukhiya refugee camp around 2:30pm on Friday, according to Md Siraj Amin, additional deputy inspector general and commander of the 14th Armed Police Battalion, or APBn, which oversees security in the camp.

The deceased was identified as Neamat Ullah, 50, the son of the late Sabi Mia of Rohingya Camp No 4.

The injured, Asmat Ullah, 16, and Kalim Ullah, 62, both from the same camp, were taken to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for treatment, officials said.

Siraj said the intense afternoon heat contributed to the tragedy.

“Being an elderly man, he was trampled while climbing a mountain slope,” he told bdnews24.com.

“Later, when he was taken to a hospital run by an NGO with the help of the army, the doctor declared him dead.”

Dr Jahedul Hasan, an emergency department physician at the hospital, said the injured recounted the chaotic moment, citing exhaustion from fasting and the sweltering conditions.

“They fell amid a lot of commotion,” Jahedul told bdnews24.com.

The stampede unfolded as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited the refugee camp, home to over a million Rohingya.