A stampede at Iranian general Qassem Soleimani's funeral killed at least 40 people and wounded 200 others

Erfan Kouchari/Tasnim News Agency via AP

Coffins of Gen. Qassem Soleimani and others who were killed in Iraq by a US drone strike, are carried on a truck surrounded by mourners during a funeral procession, in the city of Kerman, Iran, on Jan. 7, 2020.

• A stampede at the funeral procession for Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed in a US airstrike last week, is said to have killed 40 people and wounded at least 200 others, the Associated Press reported citing Iranian media.
• The incident occurred Tuesday in Kerman, the hometown of the slain Iranian general.
• Soleimani's burial has been postponed as a result of the deadly stampede, which occurred as massive crowds filled the streets of the city to honor a hero to the Iranian regime but a terrorist in the eyes of the US.
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A stampede at the funeral procession for Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed in a US airstrike last week, is said to have killed 40 people and wounded at least 200 others, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, citing Iran state TV.

Huge crowds filled the streets of the general's hometown of Kerman, where Soleimani was to be laid to rest after a two-day funeral during which his casket visited multiple cities. More than a million mourners are said to have attended the funeral procession in Tehran the day prior.

During Tuesday's funeral activities, a stampede, the cause of which remains unknown at this time, erupted unexpectedly.

"Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions," Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency medical services, told Iranian state media.

The AP, citing Iranian media, reported that 40 people were killed and 213 others were injured in the stampede. Graphic videos posted on social media showed lifeless bodies lying in the streets as others tried to save them.

Soleimani's burial has been delayed as a result of the deadly stampede.

The killing of Soleimani, a hero to the Iranian regime but a terrorist in the eyes of the US government, has raised tensions between Iran and the US, which has been moving thousands of troops into the region in preparation for confrontation.

Speaking at the funeral in Kerman on Tuesday, Hossein Salami, a Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general, threatened to "set ablaze" places supported by the US. Supporters, according to Reuters, cheered, "Death to Israel!"

Since Soleimani was killed, the Iranian regime has issued a number of threats and warnings, with top leaders vowing to get their revenge.