DAMASCUS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of damaged houses that are close to collapse in Homs city in central Syria is estimated at 840, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported Sunday.

The estimate was reported by a committee in the Homs Governorate Council that has been tasked with assessing the real-estate damages in Homs, according to the report.

The committee started its work in mid-2018 and has done a massive sweep of damaged real-estates and buildings in Homs.

The government has already removed 18 houses and buildings that were about to fall by itself and cause damages and risk on the lives of the people.

The process of removing the high-risk damaged buildings is ongoing, said the report, adding that one of the obstacles facing the process is the difficulty in contacting the owners of the real-estates.

Homs, like any other Syrian city, has suffered great damages during the war, which ended in the city in 2014.