UNHCR to mobilise resources to help refugees displaced by fire
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has said that the agency is urgently mobilising all resources, with the help from the government, to get shelter, food and comfort to the Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal who were displaced due to fire.
In a statement after the incident, Guterres said, "This is a disaster and an absolutely traumatic event for the refugees."
UNHCR said an estimated of 7,000 of the 9,000 refugees in Goldhap camp are now homeless. The displaced refugees are living under open sky in nearby jungle. Only 228 of the 1,512 traditional thatched huts in the camp survived the fire.
Thousands of refugees from Bhutan in eastern Nepal are homeless after a devastating fire swept through Goldhap refugee camp Saturday night, burning 80 percent of the camp to the ground and injuring seven refugees.
UNHCR said cause of the fire is under investigation.
"It is a huge relief that despite the severity of the blaze, no lives were lost and those who were injured have now been released from hospital," said Guterres. "What is incredibly precious to the refugees are their personal belongings and documents proving their identity," he added.
Immediate emergency assistance from UNHCR, the Nepali government and non-governmental organisations are now pouring into the area to help the refugees. Local residents living near the camp have also been very supportive, providing emergency shelter and food.
Guterres praised the rapidity and level of response from the government and aid organisations in responding to the disaster. An emergency committee has been set up by the local authorities to coordinate assistance and investigate the cause of the fire.
The government and Nepali Red Cross will distribute emergency food packages and plastic sheeting and build emergency communal shelters. UNHCR will provide cash grants to refugees to help them reconstruct their homes. Other aid organisations, some with financial assistance from UNHCR, are providing emergency sanitation, cooking kits and tarpaulins for shelter. The World Food Programme will replenish stocks of food destroyed in the fire. Another aid organisation has already delivered immediate food supplies to the refugees. nepalnews.com ia Mar 03 08
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