A wedding and a funeral

Ras Al Khaimah: A wedding celebration here turned to tragedy when one revellers was killed by a stray bullet.

Mohammad Ahmad Samt, a 45-year-old Emirati, was fatally hit on Saturday while revellers were firing shots in the air at a wedding in the Shamal area.

His friends said Samt cupped his chest during celebrations, fell to the ground and died.

Lieutenant Colonel Salem Saeed Al Alkim, head of Al Ma'amourah Police Station, said the victim was also firing in the air to mark the occasion of the wedding.

"So far the person who fired the bullet has not been identified," he said.

The Ras Al Khaimah Public Prosecution has ordered an autopsy.

"Although authorities have issued warnings and taken strict measures against the use of firearms at weddings and other celebrations, it still happens," said Colonel Abdullah Khamis Al Hadidi, head of the Criminal Investigation Department.

He said a bullet fired in the air returns to the ground with enough speed to be fatal.

According to the law, a person who fires during a wedding will be jailed for three days and his weapon will be confiscated.