31 Dead in Sudan Plane Crash

As many as 31 people were killed in a plane crash in southern Sudan today, close to the border with South Sudan, reports Reuters. Among the dead was at least one government minister and possibly more, heading to an Islamic festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Ghazi al-Sadiq, the religion minister, is among the dead; al-Jazeera notes that state media is reporting that environment minister Issa Deif Allah was also killed. It's not clear if the plane was run by state-owned Sudan Airways, which has been involved in several plane crashes in recent years. (More Sudan stories.)