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More than 50 killed in stampede at funeral of Iran general

Last updated on: January 08, 2020 00:11 IST

IMAGE: Iranian people attend a funeral procession and burial for Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, at his hometown in Kerman, Iran. Photograph: Mehdi Bolourian/Fars News Agency/WANA/Reuters

A stampede at the funeral for slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman in Iran has claimed more than 50 lives on Tuesday, state media said.

A sea of black-clad mourners on Tuesday poured into the streets of Kerman to attend the funeral of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad last week.

IMAGE: Women hold pictures of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, during a funeral procession and burial at his hometown in Kerman, Iran. Photograph: Mehdi Bolourian/Fars News Agency/WANA/Reuters

"The number of those killed in this accident has topped 50. Most of them are men," the chief of the regional forensics office was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

The head of Iran's medical emergency services said earlier in the day that 40 people died and 213 were hurt in the stampede that happened as thousands packed the streets ahead of the Quds Force commander's burial.

Soleimani, 62, was killed in a US airstrike carried out near the Baghdad international airport on Friday.

His assassination has triggered a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East and marked the most significant confrontation between the US and Iran in recent years.

-- With inputs from PTI

Edited by Roshneesh K'Maneck

Source: ANI