At least 40 dead, over 200 hurt in stampede at Soleimani funeral

Tehran: A stampede broke out on Tuesday at a funeral for a top Iranian general killed in a US airstrike, and at least 40 people were killed and more than 200 were injured as thousands thronged the procession, two Iranian news agencies reported.

The stampede took place in Kerman, the hometown of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani, as the procession began, said the semi-official Fars and ISNA news agencies, citing Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency medical services.

There was no information as to what had set off the stampede. Online videos showed people lying apparently lifeless, their faces covered by clothing. Emergency crews performed CPR on others as people wailed in the background, crying out to God.

"Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions," Koulivand said. The news agencies gave the death toll of 40, with 213 injured.

Soleimani's burial was later delayed, with no new time given. Authorities cited concerns about the massive crowd that had gathered as a reason for the delay, the semi-official ISNA news agency said.

A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital, crowding both main thoroughfares and side streets in Tehran. Such mass crowds can prove dangerous. A similar stampede, though on a much smaller scale, struck the 1989 funeral procession for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing at least eight people and injuring hundreds.

Soleimani's death in a drone strike on Friday has sparked calls across Iran for revenge against America, drastically raising tensions across the Middle East.