At least nine people were killed after monsoon rains triggered landslides in and around Rohingya refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, authorities said.

The landslides struck overnight in Cox's Bazar, where heavy rainfall caused hillsides to collapse, burying shelters while many residents were asleep.

Officials said eight of the victims were Rohingya refugees, while one was a Bangladeshi national. Search and rescue operations were continuing as emergency teams worked to locate anyone still missing beneath the debris.

Authorities have relocated around 1,000 people from high-risk areas to safer locations and said thousands more could be evacuated as heavy rainfall continues to threaten the camps.

Bangladesh's Meteorological Department warned that intense monsoon rains are expected to persist in the coming days, raising the risk of further landslides and flash flooding.

Cox's Bazar is home to more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in neighboring Myanmar. Many families live in densely populated camps built on steep, deforested hillsides, making the settlements highly vulnerable to landslides and flooding during the annual monsoon season.

Bangladesh authorities, together with UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, continue to monitor conditions in the camps while providing emergency assistance to affected families. (ILKHA)