Khartoum, Oct 31 (IANS): At least 287 people have been killed and 239 others injured in the recent tribal conflict in Sudan's southeastern Blue Nile State, a local official confirmed.

Expecting the number of victims to continue to rise, Health Minister of Blue Nile State Jamal Nasir said in a statement that a new survey began on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Forensic medicine teams would determine the causes of deaths of a number of burnt bodies to see whether they had suffered weapon attack or beatings, he noted.

On October 19 and 20, fighting broke out between the Hausa and Berta tribes in the state, reportedly because of disputes over land ownership.

On October 21, Blue Nile State Governor Ahmed El Omda Badi issued a decision to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the tribal fighting in the state.

The Governor also issued a decree declaring a state of emergency in all parts of the Blue Nile region for 30 days.