Qatar: 4,000 World Cup Huts Sent to Quake-Hit Türkiye, Syria

Workers load cabins and caravans used during the football World Cup in Qatar onto a cargo ship slated for departure from Hamad Port, on March 20, 2023, as a donation to Türkiye and Syria to house people who lost their homes in a devastating earthquake in early February. (AFP)
Workers load cabins and caravans used during the football World Cup in Qatar onto a cargo ship slated for departure from Hamad Port, on March 20, 2023, as a donation to Türkiye and Syria to house people who lost their homes in a devastating earthquake in early February. (AFP)
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Qatar: 4,000 World Cup Huts Sent to Quake-Hit Türkiye, Syria

Workers load cabins and caravans used during the football World Cup in Qatar onto a cargo ship slated for departure from Hamad Port, on March 20, 2023, as a donation to Türkiye and Syria to house people who lost their homes in a devastating earthquake in early February. (AFP)
Workers load cabins and caravans used during the football World Cup in Qatar onto a cargo ship slated for departure from Hamad Port, on March 20, 2023, as a donation to Türkiye and Syria to house people who lost their homes in a devastating earthquake in early February. (AFP)

Qatar has sent 4,000 cabins built to house fans at last year's World Cup to earthquake survivors in Türkiye 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 Arabian 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.

Qatar 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 country during soccer’s biggest tournament late last year.

The brightly colored 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.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of Türkiye and Syria on Feb. 6, killing more than 52,000 people — the vast majority in Türkiye. More than 200,000 buildings in Türkiye either collapsed or were severely damaged, leaving millions homeless.

Qatar and other Gulf countries have joined the global effort to send aid to the stricken region.



Saudi Interior Minister Meets UK Minister of State for Security, UK Home Secretary in London

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz met with UK Minister of State for Security at the Home Office Dan Jarvis. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz met with UK Minister of State for Security at the Home Office Dan Jarvis. (SPA)
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Saudi Interior Minister Meets UK Minister of State for Security, UK Home Secretary in London

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz met with UK Minister of State for Security at the Home Office Dan Jarvis. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz met with UK Minister of State for Security at the Home Office Dan Jarvis. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz held separate meetings in London with UK Minister of State for Security at the Home Office Dan Jarvis, and UK Secretary of State for the Home Department Yvette Cooper, the Saudi Press Agency said on Tuesday.

His meeting with Jarvis focused on ways to strengthen ongoing security cooperation and addressed topics of mutual interest, including the exchange of expertise between the two ministries—particularly in the areas of sports event security and the management of large-scale public gatherings.

The discussions followed Prince Abdulaziz’s visit to Wembley Stadium, where he was briefed on the stadium’s security capabilities and arrangements for hosting major events, including surveillance systems, crowd management protocols, and emergency response mechanisms.

Earlier, Prince Abdulaziz visited Wellington Barracks in London, where he was received by Jarvis. During the visit, Prince Abdulaziz attended a field performance by the British Army’s military band.

During his earlier meeting with UK Secretary of State for the Home Department, Prince Abdulaziz discussed several security-related matters between the two countries’ interior ministries.

They held a discussion to explore ways to enhance cooperation between the two ministries.

Prince Abdulaziz affirmed that the meeting aimed to strengthen security cooperation in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

He emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to advancing cooperation with the UK in combating all forms of organized crime and to fostering the exchange of expertise between specialists on both sides.

Prince Abdulaziz also highlighted the progress in security cooperation through signed agreements, stressing the importance of continuing to strengthen joint security efforts to meet the aspirations of both governments in the security field.

Following the meeting, the interior minister and the UK home secretary signed agreements pertaining to future security cooperation between their respective ministries.

The meetings were attended by senior officials from the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the UK Home Department.