At Least 35 Killed In Stampede At Soleimani's Funeral In Kerman: Iran State TV

Hundreds of thousands of mourners had taken to the streets of Kerman, the hometown of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian Major General who was killed in a US attack, to attend the funeral of the top commander.

Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of slain top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman on January 7, 2020. - Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with arch-enemy Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Kerman (Iran): Several people have reportedly been killed in Iran in a stampede at the funeral of Qassem Soleimani, the general killed in a US strike by US, state media said. At least 35 people have been killed in a stampede that erupted in the Iranian city of Kerman at the funeral procession for a top commander killed in a US air strike, Iran's state TV said, while another 48 people were wounded in the stampede, claimed local media reports. Hundreds of thousands of mourners had taken to the streets of Kerman, the hometown of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian Major General who was killed in a US attack, to attend the funeral of the top commander. The remains of Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Iraqi militia Popular Mobilization Forces who was also killed in the January 3 attack ordered by US President Donald Trump, arrived in Kerman on Tuesday morning, following massive funeral processions in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf as well as the cities of Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tehran and Qom in Iran, reports Press TV. An estimated seven million mourners took part in Monday's funeral in Tehran, according to the Coordination Council for Islamic Propagation. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Soleimani's daughter Zeinab also participated in Monday's procession. From the early hours of Tuesday, large crowds of black-clad mourners began filling the streets of Kerman. Chants of "Death to America" have been ringing out across the city, with mourners carrying the portraits of the national hero. The late commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will be laid to rest later in the day following the funeral procession. A separate mass procession was also underway for Muhandis in Abadan, from where his body will be taken to Khorramshahr and Shalamcheh in Iran's Khuzestan province. Later in the day, the remains of the senior commander will be taken back to Iraq. Soleimani, 63, had been on the ground in Syria and Iraq supervising militias backed by Tehran. The Quds Force holds sway over a large number of militias across the region ranging from Lebanon to Syria and Iraq, reports Efe news. The Iranian authorities have called for "harsh revenge" over the killing of the commander and believe that the incident marks a turning point and will lead to the withdrawal of the US troops from the region. Amid threats of retaliation from Iran, Trump on Sunday warned in a tweet that "the US will quickly and fully strike back, and perhaps in a disproportionate manner". (With additional information from IANS)