This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
On January 7, 2020, a devastating stampede broke out during a massive funeral procession in Kerman, Iran, claiming the lives of over 50 people and injuring 212 others.
The tragic incident occurred as thousands of grieving crowds packed the hometown of Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, a highly revered figure in the Islamic republic.
According to semi-official news agency ISNA, citing the emergency services chief in Kerman, Mohammad Saberi, the stampede was a result of the massive crowd that had gathered to pay their respects to the slain general.
As the news of the stampede spread, anxious Iranians gathered outside a city hospital to check the lists of victims or show doctors pictures of their missing relatives.
AFP correspondents in Kerman reported that the streets were filled with mourners, while others took refuge on hillsides around the city, where the general was to be buried at the martyrs' cemetery.
The funeral procession was a culmination of days of processions through various cities, including Ahvaz, Qom, Mashhad, and Tehran, as the country mourned the death of Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike on January 3, 2020.
The assassination of Soleimani set off an escalating war of words between Iran and the United States, with Iranian lawmakers voting to designate all US forces around the world as 'terrorists' over Soleimani's killing.
President Hassan Rouhani warned US President Donald Trump to 'never threaten' Iran, after the US leader issued a list of 52 targets in the Islamic republic.
