Saudi Arabia to construct 3,000 buildings for quake victims

Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian aid arm plans to construct 3,000 temporary buildings for victims of a devastating quake that hit Turkey and neighbouring Syria earlier this month, a Saudi official has said.

“As a first phase, we’ll build more than 3,000 temporary buildings fitted with all basic utilities in Turkey and Syria,” Supervisor-General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and relief Centre (KSRelief), Abdullah Al Rabeah, added.

“The scale of the catastrophe is very large. Tens of thousands need sheltering,” Al Rabeah told Saudi television Al Ekhbariyah.

“There is a need to continue providing assistance to the quake victims for weeks, if not for months, because of the large scale of the tragedy,” he added.

The official said an ongoing Saudi aid campaign has reached Turkey and northern Syria, including the government-ruled Aleppo.

Two Saudi planes, carrying relief supplies, landed on Tuesday and Wednesday in Aleppo for the first time in 12 years, relief activists said.

“Contacts are maintained with the Syrian Red Crescent to determine priorities and provide assistance in Aleppo,” Al Rabeah said.

The February 6 quake has left thousands dead and caused massive-scale devastation in Turkey and war-torn Syria, prompting an inflow of international aid.

In the aftermath of the quake, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Mohammad ordered a public fundraising campaign and an airlift for relief of the victims.

Around SR361.8 million has so far been collected in donations through the campaign via the Sahem e-platform, overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.