Twenty-eight people were killed and 37 injured in a blaze that hit a wedding party in Saudi Arabia’s eastern town of Abqaiq, a senior security official said on Wednesday. Only women and small children were in the tent.
The fire was sparked on Tuesday night by a falling power cable, added General Abdullah Khushaiman, the director of civil defence in the kingdom’s eastern region.
Witnesses said that the power cable snapped and came down due to celebratory bullets shot in the air by some guests.
The governor of the oil-rich region, Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, ordered a prompt investigation into the incident, the Okaz daily reported.