Heavy rain that began last night has caused significant damage across the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, leaving many families scrambling to repair their shelters and sparking renewed fears of landslides in the hilly camp areas.

The unexpected downpour, which lasted for several hours, hit the camps with strong winds and heavy rainfall, damaging dozens of shelters built from bamboo and tarpaulin. Many families woke up in the middle of the night to find water leaking through their roofs or entire sections of their shelters collapsing.

“Rain started around midnight, and within hours, water was coming in from everywhere,” said Rashida*, a mother of three living in Camp 9. “Our roof was torn, and we had to move everything to one corner of the house to keep it dry.”

This morning, refugees could be seen working together to fix the damage using ropes, plastic sheets, and bamboo. With limited resources, many said they were doing their best to make temporary repairs but are worried about further rain in the coming days.

While no casualties have been reported, the rain has also heightened concerns about possible landslides, especially in high-risk areas where shelters are built on steep and unstable hillsides.

“We are afraid there could be landslides if it rains again,” said Mohammad Salim, a community volunteer in Camp 14. “The soil becomes soft, and if the hills collapse, it will be dangerous for many families.”

Local authorities and humanitarian agencies have been informed of the situation. While emergency teams are assessing the damage, many residents feel that stronger shelters and better preparedness are urgently needed.

As the monsoon season nears, last night’s rain serves as a warning of what may lie ahead for the nearly one million Rohingya refugees living in these vulnerable camps.