Fifty people
have been killed and more than 200 injured in a stampede as Iranians gathered
for the burial of a leading commander killed in a US drone strike.
The deaths
in Qasem Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman led to the ceremony being delayed.
The burial
is the last in a series of funeral events that have brought millions on to the
streets in Iran.
Soleimani’s
killing has raised fears of a conflict between the US and Iran.
The head of
the Quds force was tasked with defending and projecting Iranian interests
abroad, and was hailed as a hero by many in his home country. Immediately after
his death, Iran threatened retaliation.
The crush in
the south-eastern Iranian city happened at the start of a funeral procession
that had drawn vast numbers of people on Tuesday morning, ahead of the planned burial.
Eyewitnesses
said the streets were not wide enough to hold the number of people and, with
other roads closed off, there was nowhere to escape to.
A coroner
quoted on Iran’s Isna news agency put the death toll at 50, with those injured
numbering more than 200.
Iranian
media later reported that the burial had resumed. Video footage showed the
procession of Soleimani’s casket. People threw items of clothing which
officials touched against the casket before returning them.
Mourners in Kerman chanted “death to America” and “death to Trump”, reporters there said.
