Qatar ships World Cup portable homes to quake-affected Turkey

About two million people are living in temporary shelters after the February 6 earthquakes.

Qatar has sent 400 temporary houses – used to house fans during the 2022 World Cup – to help those affected by the devastating earthquakes between Turkey and Syria.

About two million people are living in temporary shelters after earthquakes killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and neighboring Syria on February 6.

Two ships have arrived in the town of Iskenderun carrying 400 portable homes, and Qatar’s ambassador to Turkey says more are on their 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 live in tents, in container cities and even on trains,” says Teresa Bo of Al Jazeera, who reports from Iskenderun.

“Families living on the train say they have nowhere to go… and it provides shelter and protection from the cold at night.”

Emine Ates, who lives on a train with her three children, said they had been there for almost a month.

“We don’t know how long we will stay here, but if they close the trains, we have to go to the tents,” she told Al Jazeera.

“May no one ever see another night like that (when the earthquakes hit). It was hell. Everyone hurriedly left their homes to survive.”

Suzan Kocak, another displaced person, said that her husband works for a railway company and that is why they decided to move there.

“Our house has been damaged. This is my husband’s workplace. We came here to find shelter. We are thankful that they gave us the wagons,” she told Al Jazeera.

Last week, another magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, killing at least one person and injuring dozens.

The quake caused some damaged buildings to collapse. Turkish authorities have declared a three-month state of emergency in provinces affected by the tremors.

Teresa Bo of Al Jazeera contributed to this report.