Myanmar is carrying out “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya Muslims, a UN official has reportedly said, as horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder emerge from among the thousands who have fled to Bangladesh.
Up to 30,000 of the impoverished ethnic group have abandoned their homes in Myanmar to escape the unfolding violence, the UN says, after troops poured into the narrow strip where they live earlier this month.
John McKissick, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in the Bangladeshi border town of Cox's Bazar, told the BBC that troops were "killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses, forcing these people to cross the river" into Bangladesh.
Dhaka has resisted urgent international appeals to open its border to avert a humanitarian crisis, instead telling Myanmar it must do more to prevent the stateless Rohingya minority from entering.
"It's very difficult for the Bangladeshi government to say the border is open because this would further encourage the government of Myanmar to continue the atrocities and push them out until they have achieved their ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority in Myanmar," McKissick said.
A spokesman for Myanmar President Htin Kyaw slammed the comments.
"I would like to question the professionalism and ethics which should be followed and respected by UN staff. He should speak based on concrete and true facts, he shouldn't make accusations," Zaw Htay told AFP.
It's not the first time such claims have been made against Myanmar.
In April 2013 Human Rights Watch said it was conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya ─ an accusation rejected by then president Thein Sein as a "smear campaign".
But the scale of human suffering was becoming clear on Thursday, as desperate people like Mohammad Ayaz told how troops attacked his village and killed his pregnant wife.
Cradling his two-year-old son, he said troops killed at least 300 men in the village market and gang-raped dozens of women before setting fire to around 300 houses, Muslim-owned shops and the mosque where he served as imam.
"They shot dead my wife, Jannatun Naim. She was 25 and seven months pregnant. I took refuge at a canal with my two-year-old son, who was hit by a rifle butt," Ayaz told AFP.
Ayaz sold his watch and shoes to pay for the journey and has taken shelter at a camp for unregistered Rohingya refugees.
Many of those seeking shelter say they walked for days and used rickety boats to cross into Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of registered Rohingya refugees have been living for decades.
The Rohingya are loathed by many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar who see them as illegal immigrants and call them "Bengali", even though many have lived there for generations.
Most live in impoverished western Rakhine state, but are denied citizenship and smothered by restrictions on movement and work.
As the crisis deepened, Bangladesh said Wednesday it had summoned Myanmar's ambassador to express "deep concern".
"Despite our border guards' sincere effort to prevent the influx, thousands of distressed Myanmar citizens including women, children and elderly people continue to cross (the) border into Bangladesh," it said.
"Thousands more have been reported to be gathering at the border crossing."
Since the latest violence flared up, Bangladesh border guards have intensified patrols and coast guards have deployed extra ships. Officials say they have stopped around a thousand Rohingya at the border since Monday.
Farmer Deen Mohammad was among the thousands who evaded the patrols, sneaking into the Bangladeshi border town of Teknaf four days ago with his wife, two of their children and three other families.
"They (Myanmar's military) took my two boys, aged nine and 12 when they entered my village. I don't know what happened to them," Mohammad, 50, told AFP.
"They took women in rooms and then locked them from inside. Up to 50 women and girls of our village were tortured and raped."
Mohammad said houses in his village were burned, echoing similar testimony from other recent arrivals.

Human Rights Watch said this week it had identified more than 1,000 houses in Rohingya villages that had been razed in northwestern Myanmar using satellite images.
Myanmar's military has denied burning villages and even blamed the Rohingya themselves.
Rohingya community leaders said hundreds of families had taken shelter in camps in the border towns of Teknaf and Ukhia, many hiding for fear they would be sent back to Myanmar.

Police on Wednesday detained 70 Rohingya, including women and children, who they say will be sent back across the border.
"They handcuffed even young girls and children and then took them away with a view to pushing them back to Myanmar," said one community leader who asked not to be named, adding they faced "certain death" if made to return.
Comments (32) Closed
in many countries its going on, where percentage of minorities going down continuously.
Where is OIC? Where are human rights bodies? Why the Muslims are so quiet on this? Why no one from Western countries doing anything to stop this genocide? Just because they don't like their believes? What is wrong with humanity?
Bangladesh should open there border gates for effected peoples.
Where is Pakistan?? Why is it not condemning Myanmar
This is the hospitality of our Bangladeshi brethren. They push them back to their deaths. What a strange response we Muslims give to our brethern.
It seems racists are growing even country likes of USA is electing trump as the leader and Arabs does the same what Mammar government is doing, so who will give justice ??
Same hing India is doing against Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan should take Myanmar's Rohingya Refugees.
Muslims of world should collectively respond to ongoing atrocities
@M. Emad : open borders for refugees by other countries is exactly what Myannmar Govt. wants. Read the article it is stated there.
It is the biggest failure as Muslim Ummah, where is Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the list goes on.
This is a matter of shame and sheer incompetency on the part of OIC.
There is no more useless organization than UN
extremely saddening, it looks no body is interested to listen.
Why can't the wealthiest Muslim countries like Saudis Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman etc welcome these poor Rohingayas? Does Muslim Ummah exist in reality?
This bloodshed is totally acceptable to the so-called civilized world as victims are the Muslims.
Now..one can realise, India is far better where all ethnic,religious groups have equal rights...
@PK no doubt India, though not a perfect society but definitely better then Burma and I as a Pakistani Muslim respect india for that.
@pervez because they are least bothered and concerned about the plight of muslims. Had they been sincere, the Ummah wouldnt have been in this condition.
This is horrific and saddening to read.
It should be condemned, I feel sad for those helpless people.
Earth is common heritage of all human beings.We must help oppressed people in entire world.we are in 21st century but not civilized.Hungry,sick,homeless persons,poor and backward people have rights in our wealth and property.Ethnic cleansing in myamar is condemnable.World powers and Muslim countries must help these oppressed children and women and make entire world cruelty and terrorism free paradise.May God save human beings from sinful and evil acts!
Dear Pakistan Government,
Please take some action, raise your voice, and press the government in Myanmar to stop this persecution of Muslims there. These attrocities have been going on for some time now, but intensified in recent years.
Are you afraid of souring the customer relations with Myanmar as she is a large buyer of Pkistani arms and fighter jets?
Pakistan has to come out of this narrow mindedness if it wants to grow and make a change. It is an Islamic duty to do so, irrespective of indecisiveness of other countries.
I think they were asking for separate country for muslims? Now they do not have any country.
@splash In Pakistan also percentage of minorities going down
Myanmar shares much longer border with India (than BD) then why they want to go BD? The small indian states are less populous and better maintaind than BD. They can go to there. Atleast they should have a good leader. Then it will be easy for them to ask, speak and raise their voice to the world.
And no one is condemning or pressurizing Myanmar for it.
Strange to see, nation that have no care for her minorities, expecting someone else to care for theirs. :)
@Zeeshan why is UN useless. Would you enlighten my mind.
There are only 140,000 of them in population, is the world so burdened that it cannot host innocent people and give them a home. Pakistan government, please open your arms to these muslim brothers at this huge time of need. I am sure they will be more grateful them some Afghans we have had. There is a lot of space in Balochistan, KPK upper and even Interior Punjab/ Sindh.. I can only imagine how grateful will they be after this gesture.
@PK where people get lynched for beef. Of please i could name many more. India is not like myanmar but neither is a good place. Stop pverreacting
There are videos available on Youtube. The President of Myanmar should see them.