BUCHAREST

About 200 gipsies in a Romanian village fought with swords, knives and hunting rifles with rubber bullets after the family of a 14-year-old bridegroom cancelled his wedding to a 12-year-old girl.

Villagers in Sinesti, 18 miles east of Bucharest, clashed on Wednesday, police said. The daily newspaper Adevarul said 12 people were hurt.

The legal age for marriage in Romania is 18, or 16 with parental consent. The country generally tolerates arranged child weddings among gipsies, whose ancient traditions call for the marriage of children once they reach puberty.

The fighting at Sinesti broke out between two families, apparently because the bride's family was angry over cancellation of the wedding, police said. It then spread.

One man was due in a Bucharest court yesterday, charged with attempted murder and destroying property, an official said.

Four other people are being investigated for alleged attempted murder and 20 more are accused of causing a public disturbance, he added.

In 2003, the 12-year-old daughter of a gipsy leader stormed out of her wedding ceremony, sparking a national debate about forced marriages between gipsy adolescents, and leading to criticism from European Union officials.-AP