In Iran, huge numbers of people filled thoroughfares, chanting "Death to America" and weeping with emotion. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shed tears as he led prayers in Tehran on Monday.
I cannot recall the last time, or the first time, crowds for a slain figure in Iran reached such epic proportions. Granted, the majority of the "mourners" were threatened under duress to either show up and mourn or receive harsh treatment of various kinds, but still, it's impressive to see. So in the midst of all this government-mandated mourning, a stampede broke out that killed 50 people and wounded hundreds more. Iranians are a passionate people to say the least.
Iran is going to milk the death of Qassem Soleimani for every drop they can squeeze out of it. On an interesting and fairly amusing side note, the body of Soleimani was
put on a plane in coach, just like you were shipping a box of auto parts or pots and pans. And yet, this is the man that 50 people died in a stampede to mourn.
Burial of Qassem Soleimani delayed after 50 killed, 213 injured in Iran stampede
FROM THE JERUSALEM POST: A stampede broke out at IRGC's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani's funeral, killing 50 people and injuring more than 210, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing an emergency services official. Iran's ISNA news agency said the burial of Soleimani had been postponed due to the deaths and injuries, but did not say how long any delay would last.
The death toll in a stampede during the funeral rose to 50 on Tuesday, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. The news agency was quoting the chief coroner for Kerman province, Abbas Amian. The funeral was taking place in the city of Kerman, Soleimani's hometown.
Tens of thousands of people had gathered in Kerman to pay tribute to Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on Friday.
"Today, because of the heavy congestion of the crowd, a number of our fellow citizens who were mourning were unfortunately injured and a number were killed," emergency medical services chief Pirhossein Kolivand told state television.
He did not give further details.
The body of Qassem Soleimani, a national hero whose death has united many Iranians, had been taken to Iraqi and Iranian cities before arriving in Kerman for burial.
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