China sends houses to those affected by earthquakes in Syria

Havana, April 9 (RHC) - A Chinese ship carrying more than 200 prefabricated houses for people made homeless by the recent earthquakes in Syria arrived in the port city of Latakia on Thursday.

The ship's cargo includes 228 houses with a weight of 420 tons, provided by the Chinese people to those affected in Latakia, the province most damaged by the tremors on February 6, said the member of the Executive Office for Health Affairs and Civil Defense, Muafak Al-Soufi. He revealed that this is the first ship and others will arrive over the next few weeks.

The houses will be handed over to the Syrian Red Crescent organization, whose volunteers will set them up in various areas in the province, explained the member of the executive directorate of the internal trade and industry sector, Mualla Ibrahim.

The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent (UAE) launched last Thursday a project for the installation of 1,000 temporary homes in seven areas of that governorate, while the Iraqi Relief Agency continues the construction of 500 homes in the town of Yebrin in the northern province of Aleppo.

The Higher Relief Committee of Syria revealed that the number of buildings that are no longer habitable due to the earthquakes reached 4,444, while the buildings that need to be rehabilitated total 60,000. (Source: Prensa Latina)