Iran: 50 killed in stampede during Oasim Soleimani's funeral

People around the vehicle carrying the coffin of Soleimani, in Kerman on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Tehran: A stampede erupted on Tuesday at a funeral procession for Qasem Soleimani, killing 50 people and injuring 213 others, state television reported. "The number of those killed in this accident has topped 50. Most of them are men," Pirhossein Koulivand, the chief of the regional forensics office was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

According to the report, the stampede took place in Kerman, the hometown of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, as the procession got underway. Initial videos posted online showed people lying lifeless on a road and others shouting and trying to help them.

"Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured while some have been killed during the funeral processions," Koulivand said. Authorities later delayed Soleimani's burial, citing concerns about the massive crowd that had gathered, the semi-official ISNA news agency said. It did not say when the burial would take place.

A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital, crowding both main thoroughfares and side streets in Tehran. Soleimani's death has sparked calls across Iran for revenge against America for a slaying that's drastically raised tensions across the Middle East. The US government warned ships of an unspecified threat from Iran across all the Mideast's waterways, crucial routes for global energy supplies.

Iran parliament passes bill

Iran's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday designating all US forces "terrorists" over the killing of Somlemani last week. Under the newly adopted bill, all US forces and employees of the Pentagon and affiliated organisations, agents and commanders and those who ordered the "martyrdom" of Soleimani were designated as "terrorists".