Up to 31 people including at least one Sudanese minister were killed when a plane taking them to an Islamic festival crashed in the south of the country, an official and state media said on Sunday.

The plane went down into mountains around Talodi, a town in the border state of South Kordofan, while bringing a government delegation there to celebrate the festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, state news agency SUNA said.

SUNA said 26 passengers were killed and that the dead included ministers but did not name them.

Abdel Hafiz Abdel Rahim, a civil aviation spokesman, told Reuters that 31 people were killed including the crew, but had no details about their identities.

Arabic satellite channel Al Arabiya said the plane was carrying Guidance and Endowments Minister Khalil Abdalla. Al Jazeera reported two ministers were on board, but did not name them.

Citing Sudanese authorities, Al Jazeera reported that security personnel and a media team were also killed in the crash. The report did not say whether the plane involved belonged to the state-owned Sudan Airways or another carrier.

There have been several crashes in recent years involving Sudan Airways, which has been worn down by years of U.S. sanctions and other issues.

A Sudan Airways cargo plane crashed when it was taking off in the United Arab Emirates in 2009 and another cargo plane crashed shortly after take-off from Khartoum in 2008.

Oil-producing South Kordofan borders South Sudan, which seceded over a year ago. The border state has been the site of an insurgency since shortly before South Sudan's independence.

Sudan's government accused rebels of killing a state official and seven other people there in July. A spokesman for the main rebel group in the area, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North, said the insurgents had nothing to do with the plane crash on Sunday.

http://believeafrica.net/including-a-minister-killed-in-sudan-plane-crash-p120-94.htm

Am not a religious person or sort, but isn't this one of T.B joshua's predict, like few months ago or is it weeks that, he sees another plane crash but its not for the poor, but for government official and he said something like they will be going for a conference or so. By the way just passing by...

^ ^ Very likely

From ALLAH we come and 2 him we shall return. May their souls rest in perfect peace. TBJ prediction must hav com 2 pass on this*wink* jst my thot. Make him giv us BH end time, i cant wait 2 hav dem gone on extinction.

and this will make it to front page not because its worth the news, but because its got TBJ supposed prediction. On front page in 76543...

I thought his prediction was dat it wud involve nigerian govt officials.So dis sudanese crash now has translated to nigerian officials.What a sorry bunch of cavemen dat twist every tin to make his predictions seem real!

It's like the predictions of Prophet TB Joshua are gradually coming to pass...http:///TNxspi

I ‎​J̶̲̥̅̊u̶̲̥̅̊S̤̥̈̊τ̲̣̣̥ hope this isn't TB joshua's prediction cos we are still expecting d one dat will involve ONLY nigeria politicians.