Qatar has sent 400 temporary homes – used to house fans during the 2022 World Cup – to help those affected by the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquakes.
Some two million people are living in temporary shelters after the earthquakes on February 6 left more than 50,000 people dead in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
Two ships have arrived in the city of Iskenderun with 400 portable homes, with Qatar’s ambassador to Turkey saying more are on the way.
“We hope this will be suitable for the earthquake survivors,” Sheikh Mohammad bin Nasser Al Thani told reporters in Iskenderun.
According to the UN, more than 1.5 million people have been left homeless by the earthquakes.
“They are living in tents, container cities and even trains,” Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Iskenderun, said.
“Families living in the train say they have nowhere to go… and it provides shelter and protection from the cold at night.”
Emine Ates, who is living on a train with her three children, said they had been there for nearly a month.
“We don’t know how long we will stay here but if they close the trains, we will have to go to the tents,” she told Al Jazeera.
“May no one ever see such a night again [when the earthquakes struck]. It was hell. Everyone left their homes in a hurry to survive.”
Suzan Kocak, another displaced person, said her husband works for a railway company, which was why they chose to move there.
“Our house is damaged. This is my husband’s workplace. We have come here to find shelter. We are grateful that they gave us the train cars,” she told Al Jazeera.
Last week, another earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, killing at least one person and injuring dozens.
The tremor caused some damaged buildings to collapse. A three-month state of emergency was announced by Turkish authorities in provinces that were affected by the tremors.
Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo contributed to this report.
