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According to reports from the United Nations, the number of Rohingya Muslims that have fled into Bangladesh in the past two weeks has reached 270,000.

This number has shot up as a result of the increased violence in Myanmar.

"This [the refugee figures] does not necessarily reflect fresh arrivals within the past 24 hours but that we have identified more people in different areas that we were not aware of before," said Tan.

"The numbers are so alarming. It really means we have to step up our response and that the situation in Myanmar has to be addressed urgently." 

The massive influx of these Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh has continued to add to the already overwhelmed camps and shelter provisions in the country.

"The two refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in southeast Bangladesh - home to nearly 34,000 Rohingya refugees before this influx - are now bursting at the seams. The population has more than doubled in two weeks, totalling more than 70,000. There is an urgent need for more land and shelters," UNHCR said in a briefing note for reporters in Geneva.

"The vast majority are women, including mothers with newborn babies, families with children. They arrive in poor condition, exhausted, hungry and desperate for shelter."