Sudan’s religious affairs Minister was killed Sunday morning in a plane crash in Talodi.

Sudan’s religious affairs Minister was killed Sunday morning in a plane crash in Talodi, South Kordofan, the Sudanese official news agency announced.

Minister Ghazi Al-Sadiq was heading with other government officials to the troubled state to perform Eid prayer marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan when his plane went down killing him and the accompanying delegation.

There are not details about the cause of the incident but the government said the plane crashed due to harsh weather conditions in the outskirts of Talodi airport, the crash claimed the lives of thirty others.

The town, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the disputed border with South Sudan, sits on a partly-forested plain beneath craggy hills.

Heavy rains have been reported in South Kordofan recently.

The dead minister, Saddiq, took on the guidance and endowments portfolio, among whose duties is religious issues, during a July cabinet reshuffle which trimmed the number of ministries.

Prior to the reshuffle he had been minister of tourism and antiquities since December.