Pak wedding turns tragedy: 40 killed

The toll from Sunday's tragedy in the eastern city of Lahore could be higher as several bodies were completely burned and shocked relatives had not yet given a full count of those aboard the bus, the police said.

"We have identified as many as 22 bodies -- 11 women and 10 males and one child about nine years of age," police investigator Rana Shabbir Ahmad told AFP.

About five to seven bodies were so badly burnt that they could not be identified, doctors said, adding that the women's bodies were identified by the necklaces and earrings they were wearing.

"There are three serious and critical burn patients admitted to Lahore Mayo hospital," doctor Irfan Ali told AFP.

"They are more than 50 percent burnt. The government and the hospital administration are trying their level best to provide them with all kinds of medical treatment and facilities."

They said the bus may have been carrying as many as 70 passengers, including women and children. Police said five people were rescued from the blaze and others may have escaped themselves.

Friends of the groom were celebrating the marriage by letting off firecrackers in front of his house when one of the firecrackers fell under the bus carrying relatives and friends of the couple, setting alight its fuel tank.