By Rohingya Khobor
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh | July 19, 2026 — Continuous heavy rainfall, flash floods, and landslides have caused widespread destruction across the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, leaving at least 14 people dead, 13 injured, and thousands of refugees struggling with damaged shelters, displacement, and worsening humanitarian conditions.
According to the latest consolidated information available up to July 19, a total of 15,913 Rohingya refugees from 4,950 families have been affected by flooding and landslides across the camps. Humanitarian responders have also recorded 170 emergency incidents, including 59 landslides, while 3,282 people have been displaced after their shelters became unsafe or were destroyed.
The prolonged monsoon rains have affected 24 refugee camps, including Camp 1W, Camp 2E, Camp 2W, Camp 3, Camp 4, Camp 4 Extension, Camp 5, Camp 6, Camp 7, Camp 8 East, Camp 8 West, Camp 9, Camp 10, Camp 11, Camp 12, Camp 13, Camp 16, Camp 17, Camp 18, Camp 19, Camp 21, Camp 24, Camp 26, and Camp 27.
The Rohingya refugee camps, home to nearly one million refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar, are particularly vulnerable during the annual monsoon season. Most shelters are built on steep, deforested hillsides using bamboo frames and tarpaulin sheets, making them highly susceptible to flooding, landslides, and strong winds.
Humanitarian agencies and local responders have continued emergency operations despite difficult weather conditions. Response teams have been working to rescue affected families, relocate people from high-risk areas, clear blocked access roads, and provide emergency assistance to displaced households.
However, the continuing rainfall has significantly complicated relief efforts. Flooded pathways, damaged bridges, and unstable hillsides have limited access to several parts of the camps, delaying humanitarian assistance in some locations.
Community volunteers and emergency responders have reported repeated landslides in several camps, while floodwaters have entered shelters, damaged household belongings, and disrupted daily life for thousands of refugee families.
The severe weather has also damaged essential infrastructure inside the camps, including roads, drainage systems, and community facilities. These disruptions have affected access to health services, education facilities, water points, and humanitarian operations in multiple locations.
Humanitarian agencies have warned that the situation remains highly volatile as heavy rainfall continues across southeastern Bangladesh.
The ongoing weather conditions continue to pose several immediate risks, including additional landslides in vulnerable hilly areas, further flooding of shelters and access roads, damage to community infrastructure, and interruptions to humanitarian service delivery.
Protection concerns have also increased, particularly for women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities, who face greater challenges during emergency displacement and shelter relocation.
Field reports indicate that many families have been forced to temporarily leave their shelters and move to safer locations as authorities and humanitarian organizations continue monitoring high-risk zones.
Several affected camps, including Camp 1W, Camp 2W, Camp 5, Camp 7, and Camp 8 East and Camp 8 West, remain under close observation due to continued risks from flooding and unstable slopes. Additional assessments are ongoing across the refugee settlement as response teams continue collecting information from affected areas.
The current figures represent the latest consolidated information available as of July 19 from local community reporting, humanitarian partners, field-level assessments, media reports, and updates from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Officials have cautioned that casualty and damage figures may change as further verification and assessments continue.
The annual monsoon season remains one of the most serious humanitarian challenges facing Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar. With continued rainfall forecast, humanitarian organizations have emphasized the need for sustained emergency response, rapid damage assessments, and continued support for affected families as weather conditions remain unstable.
