KHARTOUM -- 37 persons have died since a heatwave hit the eastern Sudanese town of Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast last month, the Khartoum Arabic daily **** Al-Rai al-Aam Arabic **** reported Thursday.

Temperatures have been rising as high as 48 degrees Celsius. The governor of the Red Sea State, General Hatim al-Wasila, told the paper that the death rate had dropped in the last four days.

The town has been suffering from lack of drinking water and inadequate power supplies essential for regulating room temperatures.

The governor called on the federal minister responsible for electric power to visit Port Sudan to see for himself the urgent need, DPA reported.