30 dead in Indian marriage hall fire

At least 30 people were burned to death early today when a fire broke out in a crowded marriage hall in southern India, a fire department official said.

“We have recovered 30 bodies,” KN Arunachallam, divisional fire officer for Tiruchi district in Tamil Nadu state, said.

He said that more bodies were likely still inside the hall in Srirangam, a famous Hindu temple town 200 miles south of Madras, the state capital.

SUN TV, a Tamil language TV channel, and Tamil news websites reported 40 people had burned to death, but gave no sources.

Arunachallam said the cause of the fire was not yet known, but New Delhi Television News quoted police as saying it was probably an electrical short-circuit.