Extreme heat hits Sudan, prompting health warnings

Staying cool is becoming increasingly difficulty in Port Sudan, a major port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, as extreme heat coincides with power outages and serious water shortages.

Since earlier this month, temperatures have soared to a blistering 45 degrees Celsius, causing dozens of heatstroke incidents, some fatal, and prompting health authorities to notify residents of the risks.

“The warning issued by the Ministry of Health was necessary because temperatures in the Red Sea region reached their peak, and deaths were recorded, exceeding three cases in the past month alone,” said Hanan Ahmed, a physician at Al-Buqaa Specialized Hospital.

Doctors say prevention is critical, urging residents to avoid the hottest hours of the day.

“The most important thing is prevention and avoiding movement during peak hours and times of high temperatures. Wear light clothing and drink plenty of cool water and fluids,” Ahmed said.

Extreme heat is also disrupting daily routines and hindering productivity. Health centers are seeing a growing number of patients seeking treatment for heatstroke.

“There are currently many people suffering from heatstroke at the health center, and they are receiving treatment. The health center currently has now more than six or seven cases, and a few days ago the number reached 70 cases of heatstroke due to the high temperatures. Despite this, we continue our work in the midst of this scorching heat,” said Mohamed Abdallah, a resident.

Environmental experts warn Sudan’s climate crisis cannot be separated from the wider conditions facing people across the country.

“High temperatures affect production, public health, and people’s movement during daylight hours. This necessitates that the state places the issue of climate change on its agenda. The ongoing wars, gunpowder, and bullets all have devastating effects on the environment, people’s lives, and contribute to rising temperatures,” said Taha Badawy, an environmental expert.

Sudan’s Meteorological Authority has warned that very hot conditions will continue across the Red Sea, River Nile and Northern states, with Port Sudan expected to remain particularly hot.

Three days after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Colombia, Chinese-made heavy-duty cranes have arrived in Pereira, one of the hardest-hit areas, to lift massive structural components too heavy for manual removal and help search teams access deeper parts of the rubble.

Unlike the debris-clearing equipment deployed immediately after the quake, these cranes are specifically tasked with hoisting large building components, opening up previously inaccessible areas for rescue teams.

Many local companies involved in the rescue have also chosen Chinese equipment, citing performance and reliability as key reasons for their long-standing preference.

“We chose Chinese equipment because of its solid quality. This has been our choice for many years. For us, these machines are outstanding,” said the head of a Colombian company participating in the rescue operation in Pereira.

“We are grateful to Chinese companies for their strong support in the rescue operation, especially for their support with machinery operations,” said Juan Giraldo, director of Pereira’s Infrastructure Bureau.

The earthquake, the largest to hit ‌Colombia in years, struck the western ‌part of the country on August 11. The death toll rose to 294 on Saturday, with 3,935 people injured, 320 missing and 353 rescued, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).