Bride Dies of a Heart Attack at Her Wedding in India and Groom Marries Her Sister

A bride recently collapsed and passed away at her wedding in India. As the woman's body lay in the next room, the groom tied the knot with her sister.

A wedding ceremony in Etawah city, Uttar Pradesh, recently ended in tragedy for the bride, named Surbhi, who suffered a heart attack. Still, the ceremony was on, but with another bride: her sister Nisha.

Surbhi collapsed on stage as she and her husband-to-be Mangesh Kumar exchanged flower garlands during a traditional ceremony called the jaimala. Despite the physician's best efforts, she was unable to survive.

The families of both parties decided that Surbhi would be replaced by her sister Nisha instead of stopping the events. Surbhi was cremated after being held in a separate room while the ceremonies occurred.

MailOnline spoke with Surbhi's uncle, Ajab Singh, who admitted that it was difficult for the family to proceed with the wedding. Meanwhile, the following is a statement by Surbhi's brother Saurabh:

"It's hard to believe a dead body was in the other room — and a bride was being prepared in next one."

Several factors could explain the decision of the families. As for the bride's family, they likely expected a dowry, and as for the groom's family, they probably didn't want the stigma of having to return home without a bride.

It happened after her soon-to-be husband walked off midway through the ceremony.

Guddi Devi, the bride's mother, made an emotional plea for the wedding to go ahead. Her son Gaurav has been taking care of her since the incident. Gaurav said that his mother is suffering tremendously.

"Mummy is in a lot of pain," he told MailOnline. "She calls for her day in and day out as she was the eldest daughter. She had dreamed of doing wonders in her life. May she rest in peace."

A spontaneous wedding substitution in India has been in the news twice in the past month. This past May, in Maharajpur in Uttar Pradesh, a bride married a member of her groom's wedding party.

It happened after her soon-to-be husband walked off midway through the ceremony. Following a thorough review of groomsmen, the bride's family chose a new groom and agreed on the match.

In another incident, newlywed woman Gupteswari Sahoo, still dressed in her bridal gown, died of a heart attack during her bidaai ceremony. Emotional stress reportedly caused her heart attack.

Meanwhile, a young mother named Jade Parker, diagnosed with terminal cancer before her wedding, passed away just two days after marrying Lee Parker, her longtime partner.