More than 40 people have died and over 200 people were injured, in a stampede at the funeral of Iranian General, Qasem Soleimani.
The incident took place on Tuesday when thousands of people occupied the streets in a procession leading up to his funeral in his home town of Kerman. Videos have been making rounds on social media, showing paramedics and civilians trying to help survivors of the stampede who were laying in the street among lifeless bodies.
Soleimani’s coffin was believed to have been taken to a few Iranian cities for people to pay their respects. In Tehran, more than a million people are believed to have attended the procession the day before. Business Insider wrote: “massive crowds filled the streets of the city to honor a hero to the Iranian government but a terrorist in the eyes of the US.”
Reports suggest that the funeral has been postponed, but it is unclear whether it was postponed to later that day or is yet to take place.
General Soleimani was the leader of the special forces unit of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. He was killed in a US drone strike on Thursday 2 January. His assassination is believed to have been in retaliation against Iran-backed militias, who attacked the U.S Embassy in Baghdad on New Year’s Eve. His assassination has increased the tension between Iran and the USA and may cause Iran to retaliate. Many people have taken to social media, claiming that this could potentially be the start of World War Three.
