AP Was There: Millions of mourners attended funeral of Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
Summary
Millions of Iranians attended the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, resulting in chaotic scenes where people rushed his coffin and caused injuries and deaths. The large crowd made it necessary to delay the burial, with security forces trying to manage the situation.Key Facts
- Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died in 1989 and millions gathered to mourn him.
- About 10.2 million people took part in the funeral, roughly one-sixth of Iran’s population at the time.
- The crowd’s intense grief caused chaos, including people rushing the coffin, which fell into the crowd.
- At least eight people died and around 11,000 were injured during the event.
- Khomeini’s son, Ahmad, was knocked down and passed through the crowd to an ambulance.
- Security forces fired warning shots and tried to control the crowd by beating mourners’ hands to release the coffin.
- The burial was postponed because the crowd blocked the funeral procession.
- The funeral took place on a very hot day, with temperatures around 91 degrees Fahrenheit (about 33 Celsius).
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