Dozens more were injured when the 13-foot (four-metre) high concrete wall collapsed, trapping guests who had taken shelter from violent rain in a tin shack on Wednesday night, Indian police superintendent Anil Tank told AFP.
“We tried to rescue as many people as possible, the scene was horrific.”
Tank, a senior officer in Bharatpur, said 26 people were injured, 15 of them seriously. Television footage showed anxious relatives standing next to hospital beds.
Police have launched an investigation and detained a wedding hall manager on charges of causing death by negligence.
“We have registered a case and taken one of the managers of the banquet hall into custody,” district magistrate Narendra Kumar Gupta told reporters.
“We will investigate if the hall owners had a valid licence. In case they did not have a licence, appropriate action will be taken against them.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the incident had pained him “beyond words”.
“My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I hope the injured recover soon,” he tweeted.
Indian weddings are often grandiose affairs with huge numbers of guests and lavish ceremonies that run for several days.
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