CRUSHED TO DEATH
Stampede at funeral of Iran general Qasem Soleimani ‘leaves 40 dead and 213 injured’
A STAMPEDE at the funeral procession of Iran general Qasem Soleimani killed in a US air strike has killed 40 mourners, according to reports.
Qasem Soleimani - who was blown to bits by an American drone as he arrived in Baghdad last Friday - was due to be buried in Iran today, but this has now been postponed.
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The funeral has drawn huge crowds with thousands of mourners packing into the streets.
But the crowds have now sparked a deadly crush with dozens of people dead his home town of Kerman, according to local media.
Some 40 people have so far been killed and another 213 injured in the horror crush, Iran state TV reports.
Harrowing unverified footage appears to show medics desperately battling to revive victims as bodies are covered over with blankets.
Iranian state TV gave the casualty toll in its online report, without saying where it obtained the information.
Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of Iran’s emergency medical services, earlier spoke by telephone to state TV and confirmed the stampede took place.
He said: “Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions.”
HUGE CROWDS
A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over a million people in the Iranian capital, crowding both main thoroughfares and side streets in Tehran.
The general's body was then taken to the holy city of Qom where a ceremony at the Masumeh shrine was held.
He was then due to be buried today in Kerman, but this has now been psotponed following the horror crush.
A new time will be announced later, officials say.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept over the general's casket during his prayers as mourners were seen waving flags and demanding action against the US for the assassination on Friday.
Soleimani's death has sparked calls across Iran for revenge against America for a slaying that has drastically raised tensions across the Middle East.
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Earlier today, the leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to destroy US allies over the killing, sparking cries from the crowd of “Death to Israel!”
Hossein Salami made the pledge before a crowd of thousands gathered in a central square in Kerman before a casket containing Soleimani's remains.
The outpouring of grief was an unprecedented honour for a man viewed by Iranians as a national hero for his work leading the Guards expeditionary Quds Force.
President Trump ordered the airstrike after claiming Soleimani was responsible for killing Americans in Iraq and he was plotting further attacks.
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Soleimani, 62, was killed by two missiles fired from a MQ9 Reaper drone, which struck the general after he arrived at Baghdad airport.
Zeinah, Soleimani's daughter, directly threatened the US military in the Middle East and was met with cheers from the crowd.
She said: "The families of the American soldiers ... will spend their days waiting for the death of their children."
Qasem Soleimani's funeral stretches into night as thousands of Iranians pour onto streets for two days of mourning
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