Death Toll From Soleimani Funeral Stampede Up to 40 - Medics
Death toll from a stampede that happened Tuesday during the funeral of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani has risen to 40, media cited the head of the emergency services as saying
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th January, 2020) Death toll from a stampede that happened Tuesday during the funeral of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani has risen to 40, media cited the head of the emergency services as saying.
Huge crowds of mourners packed the streets of Kerman, the hometown of the fallen Quds Force commander, to pay their respects.
This caused a stampede that initially claimed over 30 lives.
"As of now, 40 our compatriots have died in this accident and 213 were injured," Pirhossein Kolivand was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.
Soleimani was killed in Iraq last Friday in a US drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump. Tehran has vowed to avenge the commander who spearheaded Iran's overseas operations. Trump has promised a "fast and very hard" response in case of retaliation.