By The Rohingya Post

COX’S BAZAR: On Friday, an ambulance operated by BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) ran over a 4 years old Rohingya refugee girl inside the world’s largest Kutupalong Refugee Camp.

The accident took place at around 9am local time on January 11 when the ambulance driver killed the young girl in hit-and-run in the camp.

Noor Khaida, the daughter of Abu Bakar was pronounced death on the spot.

The witness on the site of the accident said that the driver did not stop the ambulance to provide or take the child for emergency treatment despite operating healthcare service, and instead he drove by at speed.

The same ambulance has also killed a dog in the camp which was preceded by another accident in Lamba Shia, Cox’s Bazar where the ambulance reportedly left many injured.

Children comprise the majority of half a million Rohingya refugees who take refuge in the world’s largest camp.

BRAC is among several local and international NGOs that operate services such as health clinics and schools.

In October 2018, BRAC in cooperation with UNHC opened a two-storey bamboo school for 240 Rohingya children in Kutupalong Refugee Camp.

Having fled the campaign of genocide in Myanmar and taken shelters in the crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, several Rohingya, particularly children like Noor Khaida lose the lives in preventable accidents.

“We see a rise in the number of vehicles inside the camps. Some of them are frequently driven at speed despite the presence of children on the muddy roads. This incidence highlights the urgency to regulate the number of cars to be allowed, the safety regulations of drivers and the accountability to prevent unfortunate accidents like yesterday,” said an elderly Rohingya refugee from the camp.