A bride identified as Surabhi, died of heart attack at the venue of her wedding and the ceremony continued with the groom marrying the dead bride’s younger sister in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The families laid her body in the room next door following her sudden death in the presence of family and wedding guests as her groom worked on his backup plan.
According to eyewitnesses, groom, Manjesh Kumar was in the middle of exchanging vows with his fiancee, Surabhi, when she died in front of him.
Doctors rushed to her side but despite their best efforts, she was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest moments later, local media reports.
However, Surabhi’s uncle Ajab Singh told news agency IANS that the families made the decision to have Kumar wed her younger sister, Nisha, instead, which he claims was a “tough call” for them.
He said: “One daughter lay dead in one room and the wedding of another daughter was being solemnised in the other room. We have never witnessed such mixed emotions.
“The grief over her death and the happiness of the wedding have yet to sink in.”
Surabhi’s brother, Saurabh, added that they did not know what to do in the situation at first.
He said: “Both the families sat together and someone suggested that my younger sister Nisha should be married to the groom. The families discussed the matter and both agreed.”
The story has since gone viral on social media, with an image of sisters Surabhi and Nisha on the day of the wedding emerging.
News of the wedding has been viewed more than 260 million times on Weibo.