Sixteen members of a marriage party, including 13 women, were killed when the van they were travelling in collided with a lorry at Palacode near Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday night, police said.
The bride, who was among 27 persons in the van, was seriously injured while her parents were out of danger, they said.
The occupants were on their way from Belrampatti village, 43 km from Dharmapuri, to Bommidi when the mishap occurred.
Highway patrol police and fire service personnel from Palacode rushed to the spot after receiving information and began operations to extricate the bodies and rush the injured to hospital.
Collector P Amudha rushed to the Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital, where the bride and her relatives have been admitted to find out their condition.