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October 28, 2010

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Roof fall claims 65 at Afghan wedding

A ROOF collapsed yesterday during a wedding in a remote area in northern Afghanistan, killing 65 people. Nearly all of the dead were women and children, said police.

Most of those killed were women celebrating the wedding on the top floor of a mud brick house packed with guests, said Jawad Bashart, spokesman for the Baghlan provincial police. Only one adult male was killed.

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

"This is a tragic incident," said provincial Governor Abdul Majid. He said a death toll was hard to get 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 the incident happened in the afternoon, but that the district was very far away and the road was unsafe to travel at night.

"I can't remember there being such a major tragic accident," he said of his 10 years 掳?working as a health official in the?province.

Rasouli said the police had sent four-wheel drive vehicles to the region to assist.

He also said he had heard six women had been brought to the hospital in a nearby district for treatment by their families. In some places, the road was so bad, the injured had to transfer to sturdier vehicles.


 

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