More than 50 killed in stampede at Qassem Soleimani Iran funeral
More than 50 people were killed in a stampede yesterday during a massive funeral procession in Iran for a top general assassinated in a US drone strike, Iranian media said.
The tragedy came as grieving crowds packed the hometown of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, a hugely popular figure in Iran. More than 50 people were killed and 212 people injured in the stampede in Kerman, semi-official news agency ISNA said, citing officials in the southeastern city.
Anxious Iranians gathered outside a city hospital to check the lists of victims or show doctors pictures of their missing relatives. Inside, patient Ali Salaji, 28, recounted the crush as his mother tended to him. “I could hardly breathe. I had a seizure, and my foot was crushed pretty bad under the weight of all that crowd,” he told AFP.
The streets of Kerman overflowed with mourners, while others took refuge on hillsides around the city, where the general was to be buried at the martyrs’ cemetery. After the stampede, Iranian media stopped broadcasting live from the cemetery, with some outlets suggesting the burial might not take place before morning.
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