Iran has corrected the death toll from the Kerman terrorist attack, decreasing it to 84 from the initial 95, saying the previous figures were incorrect as some of the bodies were counted more than once given that they were blown to pieces.
“The previous figure of 95 was incorrect given that some of the bodies were blown to pieces,” Mohammad Saberi, head of Kerman Emergency Organization, said Thursday.
He said forensic officials have now put the revised death toll at 84.
Saberi added that so far, 89 injured people have been discharged from hospitals, 149 people are currently hospitalized in normal units, and 46 people are in special care units.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi also confirmed the revised figure, saying some of the wounded individuals are in critical condition.
“Most of the injured are in good condition and need minor surgeries. Some of them will be discharged today,” Vahidi told reporters on Thursday, after visiting the wounded at hospitals.
He also stressed that the security situation in Kerman is under control.
“Undoubtedly, those behind the terrorist attack will be hunted down by Iran’s intelligence and security apparatuses and will be delivered a hard slap,” he asserted.
Two explosions occurred in the southeastern city of Kerman on Wednesday near the tomb of former Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
According to IRNA, the first blast occurred some 700 meters from General Soleimani’s burial place, and the second one about one kilometer away 20 minutes later during a crowded fourth- martyrdom anniversary.
No group or country has claimed responsibility for the recent explosion which is the deadliest attack in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei pledged a “fitting punishment” and a “harsh response” against the masterminds and perpetrators of the terrorist attack.
“The enemies should know that the soldiers of Soleimani’s shining path will not tolerate their vile and crime and both the hands that shed the blood of the innocent people, and the corrupt and mischievous minds that misled them would be tracked down and will be handed a ‘fitting punishment,’” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday.
Other top Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi, also vowed to make every effort to bring the perpetrators to justice.
