Stampede Kills 50 Mourners at Gen Soleimani's Burial in Iran

By BBC

Fifty people have been killed and more than 200 injured in a stampede as Iranians gathered for the burial of a leading commander killed in a US drone strike.

The deaths in Qasem Soleimani's hometown of Kerman led to his interment being delayed. Millions are already estimated to have packed the streets for a series of funeral processions in Iran.

Soleimani's killing has raised fears of a conflict between the US and Iran. The head of the Quds force was tasked with defending and projecting Iranian interests abroad, and was hailed as a hero in his home country.

To the US he was a terrorist, and in explaining why he ordered the strike President Trump said he was acting on an "imminent" threat. It is unclear what caused the stampede in Kerman, south-eastern Iran, but vast numbers of people had been in the streets on Tuesday morning ahead of the planned burial.

A coroner quoted on Iran's ISNA put the death toll at 50, with those injured numbering more than 200.