Sudanese plane crash kills minister

A Sudanese minister and 30 other people were killed when the plane they were travelling to Sudan’s war-torn South Kordofan state for a function marking the Muslim Eid holiday, crashed on Sunday. The plane was carrying Guidance and Endowments Minister Khalil Abdalla. “All people on board were killed,” Abdelhafiz Abdelrahim, spokesman for the Sudan Aviation Authority, told AFP. He said the plane was landing in Talodi town at about 8am (0500 GMT) when “an explosion was heard and the plane was destroyed.” Abdelrahim could not immediately provide further details. The official SUNA news agency issued a brief alert which said only: “A plane with 26 passengers, including ministers, crashed near Talodi.” Talodi has been a key battleground in the war which began in June last year between the government and ethnic rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). There was no immediate word on what caused the explosion aboard the plane. Source in the Sudanese presidency confirmed to Arabstoday that the plane crash was not a result of military action. The presidency is expected to release a statement soon. All passengers on the plane are believed to be dead, including military leaders. The bodies of the victims were not identified as they were burned beyond recognition.