Housing is emerging as a major problem after the earthquake. (file)
Doha, Qatar:
Qatari officials said on Sunday that Qatar will send 10,000 cabins and caravans used during the World Cup to Turkey and Syria to now house people who lost their homes in the devastating earthquake.
The United Nations has said millions of people may be in need of help after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck early Monday that has killed at least 33,000 and flattened entire neighborhoods in both countries.
“Given the urgent needs in Turkey and Syria, we have decided to send our cabins and caravans to the region, providing much-needed and urgent assistance to the people of Turkey and Syria,” a Qatari official told AFP.
The mobile homes were used for a few weeks when Qatar hosted the soccer World Cup last year. Officials have indicated that they will be donated after the tournament.
The first shipment is scheduled to leave Doha port for Turkey on Monday, with more deliveries expected in the coming days, Qatari officials said, requesting anonymity, saying they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Gulf state’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, visited Turkey on Sunday, the first foreign leader to do so since last week’s earthquake.
The emir said in a tweet he stayed away from the affected areas, holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul to help Doha “mitigate this disaster”.
Qatar has the largest foreign rescue team in Turkey, with around 130 people present. It has also sent 100 tonnes of aid.
The two countries have forged increasingly strong ties in recent years.
Even before the earthquake, Qatar had agreed to pump billions of dollars into the struggling Turkish economy and invest in shopping malls and infrastructure projects.
Erdogan has been criticized at home over the government’s response to the earthquake.
Turkey is now desperate for housing as thousands of buildings were destroyed in the earthquake and tens of thousands are in need of major repairs before they can be used again.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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