A newlywed has died and more than 110 guests have tested positive for coronavirus after a wedding in eastern India, it is reported.
The 26-year-old groom was suffering Covid-19 symptoms when he got married on June 15, officials in Bihar state confirmed to the AFP news agency on Wednesday.
He died two days later.
Some 111 people who attended either the wedding or the funeral have now tested positive for the disease, the state capital’s chief medical officer Raj Kishor Chaudhary said.
“All others have been identified and isolated,” Mr Chaudhary added.
Neither the bride nor any of the groom’s relatives tested positive for the disease, officials said.
Doctors are unable to confirm whether the unnamed groom was the source of the infection as he was cremated before tests could be carried out, according to AFP.
But Mr Chaudhary said around 400 people who attended the wedding or funeral would need to self-isolate following a surge in infections in the region.
The groom, who returned home from near New Delhi only a week before the wedding, had displayed symptoms before his wedding day.
He was briefly admitted to hospital, but was discharged in time for the nuptials at which more than 300 guests were welcomed.
He died at his home two days later, with nearly 200 people attending the funeral – some of whom were present at both events.
Authorities have reportedly now launched an investigation into possible violations of social distancing rules at the two gatherings.
No more than 50 guests are currently allowed at weddings in India, and just 20 people at funerals, as part of coronavirus restrictions.
The pandemic is currently raging across India, with almost 600,000 infections and more than 17,000 deaths reported so far.
