Death toll rises to 18 in Indian wedding blast

The latest figures show that at least 18 people were killed and five more injured after an explosion tore through a wedding that was being held in the western state of Rajasthan in India on Friday. “So far 18 bodies have been recovered,” senior official Gaurav Goyal told AFP. “Five seriously injured people, with severe burn injuries, are being treated in hospital.” The number of deaths rose over the weekend, as rescuers sifting through the rubble found nine more bodies. The blast, which reduced the three-story hotel in which the wedding was being held to rubble, seemingly erupted when the chef tried to refill a cooking canister.