Wedding fire, stampede kills over 20 in Pakistan

MULTAN, Pakistan, Dec 17 (Reuters) A fire at a wedding party triggered a stampede and collapse of a wall in central Pakistan, killing more than 20 people, including the bride, police said today.

The marriage party was underway in a tent near the city of Dera Ghazi Khan yesterday night when it caught fire. An electrical short-circuit is thought to have caused the blaze.

Several women and children died of burns. Many of those fleeing scaled a nearby wall, causing it to collapse.

''Around 22 to 23 people were killed and 70 people were injured,'' police officer Ghulam Farid told Reuters. The groom was among the injured.

He said the death toll could rise because several victims were in critical condition.

Dera Ghazi Khan is about 500 km southwest of the capital, Islamabad.

REUTERS AKJ VV1234