KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, (Reuters) – Part of a building collapsed on a wedding party in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province yesterday, killing about 60 people, the Afghan Red Crescent said.
Dr Hamid Niazi, head of the Helal Ahmar Afghani, or Afghan Red Crescent, said at least 40 people were injured and that many of the victims were women and children.
Munshi Abdul Majid, the governor of Baghlan, said the accident occurred in the Jilga district of Baghlan as guests gathered for the wedding in the early afternoon.
He said the wedding party was being held in a three-storey village house.
“One of the floors collapsed,” Majid told Reuters. “Women and children form the bulk of fatalities.”
The mishap was under investigation, he said. Houses in Afghanistan are often flimsy structures of mud and wood, constructed with little or no oversight by civil authorities.
Majid said he did not know whether the bride and groom were among the casualties.
