Building collapse kills 65 at Afghan wedding

KABUL. October 28. KAZINFORM A roof collapsed on Wednesday during a wedding in a remote area in northern Afghanistan, killing 65 people, nearly all women and children, said police; Kazinform refers to The Arab News.

Most of the dead were women celebrating the wedding on the top floor of a mud brick house packed with guests, said Jawad Bashart, spokesman of the Baghlan provincial police.

Only one adult male was killed.

He added that 12 children were among the dead and another 40 people were wounded at the wedding which took place in the remote Jelga district. Women and men traditionally have separate celebrations at weddings.

"This is a very tragic incident," said provincial Governor Abdul Majid. He said an exact death toll was difficult to establish because of conflicting reports and the remoteness of the area.

"In those remote areas, the economy is not so good.

People don't build such strong houses as they do in the city," he said.

Dr. Salim Rasouli, the provincial health chief, said that the incident happened in the afternoon but that the district was very far and the road was unsafe to travel at night; Kazinform cites The Arab News.

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