Wedding blaze kills 45 people, including groom

The groom and 44 other people were killed today when a fire engulfed an Indian marriage hall.

Another 60 people, including the bride, were injured, officials said.

Some of the victims were burned in the flames, while others were crushed in a stampede down a narrow staircase, the officials said.

“Forty-five bodies have been recovered from the marriage hall,” said K Manivasan, the top administrator for Tiruchi district in southern Tamil Nadu state.

“About 60 have been admitted to various hospitals, some with burn injuries and others with injuries sustained in the stampede,” he said.

The bride, Jaishree Ramanathan, a schoolteacher, was in serious condition with burns, Manivasan said. The groom, Guru Raghavender, worked at an insurance company.

The fire occurred in Srirangam, a famous Hindu temple town 200 miles south of Madras, the state capital.

District Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Singh said the fire was probably caused by an electrical short-circuit.

Press Trust of India quoted other police officers as saying that a string of garland lights that normally decorate Indian weddings had set fire to the building’s thatched roof.

The wedding was taking place early in the morning because it was an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar, and marriage halls were fully booked in the town.

The building was 100 yards from the tenth century Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, the main attraction in the town.