'Technical reasons' caused crash

2008-05-03 13:24

Khartoum - A top southern Sudanese official says that the plane crash killing 24 people, including key government officials, was due to technical reasons.

Gabriel Changson Chan, the southern Sudanese minister of information, says that while a committee has yet to be formed to formally investigate the crash, the government believes the crash happened because of a techical failure in the plane.

On Friday, a southern Sudanese plane carrying a presidential advisor and the minister of military affairs crashed, killing 21 passengers and three crew members.

Chan told The Associated Press Saturday that the accident would not affect the delicate implementation of the 2005 peace agreement between northern and southern Sudan.

Southern Sudan's leader has declared a three day mourning period across the south.

- AP