New Delhi: At least 95 people were killed and over 170 others injured on Wednesday in two blasts near the burial ground of Iran’s late commander Qassem Soleimani in the southwestern province of Kerman, reported the semi-official Fars news agency citing Iran’s Emergency organisation.
The blasts occurred with an almost 20-minute difference at around 15:00 local time as many people gathered at the cemetery in the southeastern city of Kerman to mark the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a US drone strike.
The first blast was about 700 meters from Soleimani’s tomb, and the second was a kilometre away, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.
Rahman Jalali, Deputy Governor of Kerman province, said the explosions were carried out by “terrorists”, the IRNA reported.
The IRINN said the cause of the blasts was still under investigation and that rescue teams were at the scene. It added that most of the injuries were caused by overcrowding and panic.
The Iranian government has declared Thursday a day of national mourning.
Soleimani, one of the most powerful military commanders in Iran, was killed on January 3, 2020, near Baghdad’s international airport in a drone strike ordered by then-US President Donald Trump.
He was buried in his hometown of Kerman after a funeral that drew millions of mourners across Iran. Iran denounced the assassination as “state terrorism” and vowed revenge.
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