A tragic incident occurred during a commemorative event for the anniversary of General Qasem Soleimani’s killing in Iran.
State media reported that at least 103 people lost their lives due to two consecutive bomb explosions.
State television characterized the events as a “terrorist attack,” occurring against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
The day before, Saleh al-Aruri, the second-in-command of Hamas and an ally of Iran, was killed in a drone attack in a southern suburb of Beirut. Lebanese officials attributed the attack to Israel.
Explosions occurred close to the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in Kerman, the southern hometown and burial place of General Qasem Soleimani. Supporters had gathered to observe the fourth anniversary of his death in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport.
Rahman Jalali, the deputy governor of Kerman, labelled the explosions as a “terrorist attack.”
Currently, there has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
“The number of people killed rose to 103 following the death of people injured during the terrorist explosions,” said official IRNA news agency, which earlier reported 73 deaths.
Another 141 people were wounded in the bombings, IRNA said, adding that some were in “critical condition”.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, quoting informed sources, said “two bags carrying bombs went off” at the site.
“The perpetrators… of this incident apparently detonated the bombs by remote control,” Tasnim added.
According to the ISNA news agency, Kerman mayor Saeed Tabrizi stated that the bombs detonated with a 10-minute interval between them.
“We were walking towards the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us, and a waste bin containing a bomb exploded,” ISNA quoted an eyewitness as saying.
“We only heard the sound of the explosion and saw people falling. There was a bomb in the trash can,” the witness added.
Online footage depicted crowds urgently dispersing while security personnel established cordons to secure the area.
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