Wedding tragedy: Roof collapse kills 65 at party

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan  — About 65 people were killed when a roof collapsed during a wedding celebration in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Munshi Abdul Majid, the governor of Baghlan province, said the accident occurred in the Jilga district as guests gathered in the early afternoon.

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Majid said the wedding party was being held in a three-story house.

"One of the floors collapsed," Majid told Reuters. "Women and children form the bulk of fatalities."

Majid said he did not know whether the bride and groom were among the casualties. However, police said 12 children had been killed.

Jawad Bashart, a spokesman for the provincial police, said that 40 people were also injured. He said the house was overcrowded and was made of mud bricks.

Most of the dead were women who were celebrating separately from the men on the top floor, Bashart added.

Houses in Afghanistan are often flimsy structures of mud and wood, constructed with little or no oversight by civil authorities.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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