32 Killed in Stampede at Iran Soleimani Funeral... Funeral Proceedings Halted (Comprehensive)

About 190 Injured... Number of Injured Expected to Rise

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] On the 7th (local time), at the funeral of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, held in Kerman Province in southeastern Iran, 32 people were crushed to death and about 190 were injured as crowds surged, according to Iranian state media. Some local media reported the death toll as 35 and said the number of injured is expected to increase.

The funeral committee announced, "Due to the unfortunate accident, the funeral will be suspended and the burial schedule postponed."

According to reports, the accident occurred as mourners rushed all at once to approach the vehicle carrying Soleimani's coffin. At public funerals for prominent figures held in Iran, black cloths are thrown onto the coffin as a sign of mourning. Because many people crowded around the hearse, the accident happened.

The funeral of Commander Soleimani, who died in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq on the 3rd, was held the next day in Baghdad and the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, then transported to Ahvaz in southwestern Iran on the 5th.

Ahvaz is where he made significant contributions during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.

Afterwards, Soleimani's funeral procession passed through the Shia holy city of Mashhad, the capital Tehran, and the religious city of Qom, before being held in Kerman Province on the 7th.

Kerman Province is Soleimani's hometown, where he is scheduled to be buried.