Wall falls on 25 Indians during a wedding ceremony

A wall collapsed during a wedding party in western India late on Wednesday, killing at least 25 people, Indian media reported. The hundreds of guests were having dinner or
assembling on the outdoor lawns when a strong dust storm blew into the area on Wednesday night, forcing people on the lawns to go indoors. Then the 80-feet-long (32-meters-long) wall collapsed onto people inside the wedding hall, Bharatpur District Magistrate NK Gupta told reporters.

  The Times of India reported that 25 people, including four children, lost their lives in the collapse while other news outlets counted 22 and 26 deaths. "As per the official figures, 23 people including 11 men, eight women and four children were killed.

 The number of injured stands at 28," Alok Vashishth, the inspector general of police, told the Times. The newspaper reported that two more people died in the early hours of Thursday as a result of their injuries.

  "The building collapsed due to dust storm and people were stuck in debris. Some locals intimated about the incident and a rescue team rushed to the spot," Mr Vashishth, the inspector general of police, told the Times.

  "The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals immediately and treatment was administered," Anil Tank, superintendent of police in Bharatpur, said. The Press Trust of India news agency said there were food stalls set up along the wall for the wedding. Bharatpur, in the district of Rajasthan state, is nearly 200km (125 miles) south of New Delhi. A power outage reportedly hampered rescue work. "The incident in Bharatpur has pained me beyond words. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased.

 I hope the injured recover soon," Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. The incident in Bharatpur has pained me beyond words. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I hope the injured recover soon: PM 6:15 AM - 11 May 2017 206 508 PMO India @PMOIndia Follow The prime minister also announced that next of kin of the victims will receive 200,000 rupees (£2,400) while the "seriously injured" will be given 50,000 rupees.

  Building collapses are common in India, where high demand for housing and lax regulations have encouraged some builders to cut corners, use substandard materials or add unauthorised extra floors.