Qatar sent 4,000 housing cabins that were built to house fans at last year’s World Cup to earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria, authorities said Monday.
The Associated Press watched as the last batch of manufactured homes was loaded onto a ship in the Persian Gulf. The Qatar Development Fund began sending out huts last month and says it will send a total of 10,000 to house people displaced by the February 6 earthquake.
The authorities of Qatar, one of the richest countries in the world, indicated that it had always planned to donate the mobile homes. They served to house some of the 1.4 million fans who poured into the small country during the biggest soccer tournament late last year.
The brightly colored, thin-walled cabins were designed to accommodate one or two people with twin beds, a nightstand, small table and chair, air conditioning, an indoor toilet and shower. They were around $200 a night, $270 with board, offering a cheap option for visitors.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Syria on February 6, killing more than 52,000 people — the vast majority in Turkey. More than 200,000 structures in Turkey have collapsed or been severely damaged, leaving millions of people homeless.
Qatar and other rich Gulf countries have joined the global effort to send aid to the people of the affected region.
