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| Saturday, 24 January 2004 |
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Over 44 killed, 75 injured in blaze at marriage in Tamil Nadu MADRAS, India, Friday (AFP) At least 44 people, including a bridegroom, were killed Friday when a fire ripped through a makeshift wedding hall in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu during a marriage ceremony, police said. The blaze, in which 75 people were also injured, happened at a venue near the famous Srirangam Hindu temple in Tiruchchirapally, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) from the Tamil Nadu state capital Madras, police said. The blaze was started by the holy fire the bride and the groom walk around seven times to solemnise their wedding vows according to Hindu religious customs, a police official said. It then whipped through the crowded hall, which was decorated with dried coconut palm leaves, and caused the short-circuiting of electricity cables. The dead included the 28-year-old groom, who works for a government-run insurance company, 28 women and four children. The bride escaped unhurt as she was still preparing for the wedding ceremony, the official said. Some of the 75 injured were in a serious condition and the death toll could rise, the official said. The blaze has been brought under control and firemen were removing the bodies of victims, he said. |
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