Tue | May 30, 2023

Qatar: 4,000 World Cup huts sent to quake-hit Turkey, Syria

Published:Monday | March 20, 2023 | 3:52 PM
Cabins line the World Cup fan village on November 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Qatar has sent 4,000 cabins built to house fans at last year's World Cup to earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria, authorities said Monday, March 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed, File)

Qatar has sent 4,000 cabins 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 latest batch of pre-fabricated cabins was loaded onto a cargo ship in the Persian Gulf.

The Qatar Development Fund began shipping cabins last month and says it will send a total of 10,000 to house people displaced by the Feb. 6 earthquake.

Gas-rich Qatar, one of the world's wealthiest countries, says it had always planned to donate the mobile homes. 

They were needed to help house some of the 1.4 million fans who descended on the small country during soccer's biggest tournament late last year.

The brightly coloured cabins, each with thin walls, were designed to hold one or two people with twin beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet and a shower inside.

They went for around $200 a night — $270 with board — offering a budget option for visiting fans.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.