Two explosions caused by "terrorist attacks" killed at least 211 people and wounded dozens near a cemetery in Iran where a ceremony was being held to mark the 2020 death of the country's top commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone attack, Iranian officials said on Wednesday.
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Iranian state television reported a first and then a second explosion during the ceremony in the southeastern city of Kerman, saying at least 20 people had been killed. As the hours passed, the death toll rose and Iranian media reported fatalities grew to 103.
At least 20 dead in blast at Iranian general Soleimani's tomb
"The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks," state media quoted a local official in the Kerman province as saying. Babak Yektaparast, a spokesperson for Iran's emergency services, was reported later as saying 103 people had been killed and over 170 injured.
The semi-official Nournews had said earlier that "several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery".
State TV showed Red Crescent rescuers attending to wounded people at the ceremony, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death. Some Iranian news agencies said at least 50 people were wounded.
"Our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured... But there are waves of crowds blocking roads," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman province Red Crescent told state TV.
Earlier, the Iranian news agency ISNA reported that the mayor of Kerman said that the explosions occurred about 10 minutes apart at the Tomb of Unknown Martyrs. Initially, Iran reported that the incident involved a gas tank explosion, but later, the deputy governor of Kerman claimed it was a "terrorist attack." The news agency Mehr claimed that the second blast hit the security forces organizing the memorial events for the former Quds Force commander.
First published: 14:34, 01.03.24