Two explosions caused by "terrorist attacks" killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in Iran to commemorate top commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed in a 2020 US drone attack, Iranian officials said on Wednesday.
Iranian state television reported a first and then a second explosion during an anniversary event at the cemetery where Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman.
عمليات اخلاء لمقبرة كرمان، وغير معلوم حتى اللحظة ما اذا كان الانفجار ناتج عن انفجار لاسطوانات غاز او نتيجة هجوم. pic.twitter.com/RBvjRE3gmw
— Fatima Alsmadi • فاطمة الصمادي (@AlsmadiFatima) January 3, 2024
Iranian Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi told state TV the death toll was at 95, down from 103, and said 211 others were injured, making it the deadliest attack in the history of the Islamic Republic, which has faced similar incidents in the past from various groups, including Islamic State.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The immediate aftermath of a blast in Iran on January 3, 2024 (VIA MAARIV)
Videos aired by Iranian media showed dozens of bodies strewn around with some bystanders trying to attend to survivors and others hurrying to leave the blast area.
"A terrible sound was heard there, despite all the security and safety measures. We are still investigating," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman Red Crescent Society, told state television.
"We are now evacuating the wounded and injured in the area. The crowd is huge and the job is quite hard - all the paths to there are blocked," Fallah said.
Iran has in the past blamed Israel for attacks on individual people or places within its borders - claims which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied - but there was no indication of any involvement of a foreign state in the cemetery explosions.
Suitcases containing remotely-activated explosives
Local media officials told Iranian state TV later on Wednesday that the explosions were caused by two suitcases containing explosives that were triggered remotely. According to the sources, the second explosion deliberately targeted security forces in the area, according to Israeli media.
According to the officials, the devices were activated by remote control with a 10-second interval between them. The first explosion occurred about 700 meters from Soleimani's grave, and the second explosion was directed towards the security forces who organized the ceremony to commemorate the fourth anniversary of their leader's death, according to the report.
This is a developing story.