Fire Kills 23 Women, Children At Wedding...Reports

Saudi media reports say a blaze that erupted inside a tent at a wedding in the country's east has killed at least 23 women and children.

The media cite civil defense officials as saying that celebratory gunfire, common at weddings, brought down a power line that touched off the fire late Tuesday in the Eastern Province.

The official Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday that a special government committee will conduct an investigation into the incident. The probe will be by the provincial governor.
Saudi Arabia's ultraconservative codes require genders to be separated at most public events, including weddings.