NATO ships first batch of temporary housing containers for survivors

A merchant vessel carrying NATO’s first 600 of over 1,000 temporary housing containers for Turkey’s earthquake survivors has departed Italy’s Taranto Port on late Sunday.

The first batch of containers to provide shelter for people affected by the devastating tremors is expected to arrive in Southern Hatay’s Iskenderun Port next week, the NATO said.

The shipment is the result of coordination between NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), it said, adding that the containers were planned to serve at least 4,000 people.

“The establishment of the camp expected to start once the equipment is off-loaded and delivered to the site,” the NATO said.

Additionally, the alliance is coordinating the strategic airlift of tents from Pakistan to Turkey, it said.

The devastating tremors that claimed more than 41,000 lives in Turkey’s southeast so far, have also left hundreds of thousands of people without a roof on top in severe winter conditions.