First residents take shelter in ‘container city’ in quake-hit İzmir

Turkey has finished the construction of a "container city," temporary housing units resembling shipping containers, for earthquake-hit people in the western province of İzmir in 20 days.

The first six families already started accommodating in the city on Nov. 22.

"We have 500 container houses. We have lodged six families now. In time, we will accommodate more people step by step," said Deputy İzmir Governor Faik Arıcan, who welcomed newcomers with flowers.

According to Arıcan, people who have been living in the tent city built just after the deadly tremor on Oct. 30 will be moved to the container city.

"It is getting cold. We will dismantle the tents and transfer all of the people from there to here," he added.

The tent city was temporarily built in the Bornova district, while the container city has been constructed in the Bayraklı district, close to the earthquake-hit center.

In a 46,000-meter-square land, 500 container houses spanning 21 meters square have been placed.

According to the officials, each container house consists of a kitchen, a hall, a room and a bathroom.

Two streets in the container city were named after quake survivors, babies Ayda and Elif. Three-year-old Ayda Gezgin was saved from the rubble alive 91 hours after the earthquake, Elif Perinçek, also three, was saved after 65 hours.

"We cannot forget the pain from the quake. But this container can relieve the pain. We will stay here for a while, then we will rent a place of our own," said Suzan Gezer, 75, who will live with her son, Hakan Kandemir.

"Our building was damaged in the quake. All of our neighbors left it. Now we are here. I want to thank everyone who provided this service to...