Iranian authorities have reportedly drawn up emergency plans for a possible mass-casualty incident during the week-long funeral ceremonies of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with officials estimating that between 1,500 and 3,000 people could die in crowd-related incidents, according to a report by an international media outlet.
The news agency reported that a classified letter from the Iranian Red Crescent and the National Crisis Management Organisation to First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref outlined a worst-case scenario of up to 3,000 fatalities during the funeral processions.
Authorities are said to fear that the combination of massive crowds expected to attend the ceremonies and soaring summer temperatures could trigger deadly stampedes or other crowd-related disasters.
An employee of Tehran municipality has informed that thousands of additional graves had already been prepared at the capital's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.
"The prepared graves really exist. Those responsible were told that up to 3,000 dead would be okay. With such a large crowd and this extreme heat, no one knows what will happen," the employee was quoted as saying.
The report added that a special unit had been established to coordinate the handling of the dead and missing in the event of a major disaster.
Also read: Millions gather as week-long funeral for Ali Khamenei begins
Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 until his death at the age of 86, was killed along with several members of his family and senior officials in an Israeli strike on the opening day of the Iran-Israel war on February 28.
His funeral ceremonies began on Friday and are scheduled to continue for a week. According to the reported itinerary, his coffin will remain in Tehran for three days before being taken to the holy city of Qom on Tuesday, followed by a procession in neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday. He is to be buried on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
He will reportedly be laid to rest alongside several relatives killed in the February 28 strike, including his infant granddaughter Zahra Mohammadi Golpaygani, his daughter, son-in-law and the wife of his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to WELT, the contingency planning has been influenced by the deadly crowd crush during the funeral of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
Millions had gathered to pay their respects to Soleimani after he was killed in a US drone strike. During his funeral procession in Kerman, a stampede killed at least 56 people and injured more than 200, forcing authorities to suspend the ceremony and postpone his burial.
With millions again expected to attend Khamenei's funeral, Iranian authorities are reportedly seeking to avoid a repeat of that tragedy by preparing for the worst-case scenario.
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