Several women and children died of burns. Many of those fleeing scaled a nearby wall, causing it to collapse. "Twenty women and seven children have been killed. The unfortunate bride is also among them," Nazar Abbas, a deputy superintendent of police, told Reuters.
Abbas said up to 300 women and children were gathered in the tent and were singing wedding songs when the incident happened. He said scores of people were injured. A police officer had earlier said the groom was among injured. But Abbas said the groom and other men were gathered in a separate tent and there were no casualties among them.
Abid Hussain, 28, who lost his young son and daughter, said there were more than 100 guests in the tent when the fire broke out.
"It was caused by an electric short-circuit," he said. "People fleeing in panic climbed a mud and brick wall of a house which caved in killing several people."
More than 20 people were still in hospitals in Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan, some of them in serious condition, he added.
Hospital officials said at least five people were in critical condition.
The small town of Jhok Utra, located some 20km west of Dera Ghazi Khan, has a population of about 5,000 people.
Witnesses said the family of the 20-year old bride, Fiza Bibi, had illuminated the entire street and decorated the route of the groom's party with flowers and multi-coloured bunting.
Almost every family in the small town has suffered a casualty, residents said.
A pall of gloom has descended and all shops were closed to mourn the heavy loss of life.
Local residents and people from adjoining villages were seen visiting one house after the other to offer their condolences to the bereaved families.
Some 4,000 people, including local administration officials and lawmakers, attended the funeral prayers in the town, district police chief Athar Mubarak said.
Mubarak told AFP that the victims of the tragedy, including the bride and her wedding guests, were buried in a local graveyard amid moving scenes. Men were weeping and women were beating their chests in grief, witnesses said.
The bridegroom Abdul Ali, 22, was wounded in the incident.
"I have lost everything. This is a big tragedy for all of us," a man told reporters.
"A cousin of mine, who married just six weeks ago, also lost his wife," he added.
COMPENSATION:
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi have expressed deep shock and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident.
The Chief Minister has announced Rs 50,000 each for the heirs of those who lost lives and Rs 25,000 for each injured person.
He also directed the authorities to provide free medical treatment to the injured persons at government expense.