A bride dropped dead at her own wedding in India prompting her sister to then marry the groom at the same ceremony when the families decided to carry on with the festivities.

The bride, named Surbhi, suffered a heart attack at the ceremony in Etawah city, Uttar Pradesh, after exchanging ornaments with husband-to-be Manjesh Kumar as part of Hindu wedding tradition.

A doctor from the local village was called to the scene but was unable to save her.

The families of both parties agreed to continue with the wedding ceremony by replacing the bride with her sister, Nisha.

Surbhi’s body was kept in a separate room while the festivities took place and she was later cremated.

One of Surbhi’s uncles, Ajab Singh, told MailOnline it was a ‘tough call’ for the family to carry on with the wedding. In separate comments to news agency IANS, Surbhi’s brother Saurabh added:

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

We did not know what to do in the situation.

Both the families sat together and someone suggested that my younger sister nisha should be married to the groom. The families discussed the matter and both agreed.

Guddi Devi the mother of the late bride is heartbroken and failing to come to terms with her daughter’s death. She is being taken care of by her son Gaurav following the incident. Gaurav told MailOnline:

Mummy is in a lot of pain. 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.