AP Was There: Millions of mourners attended funeral of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
An Iranian mourner goes into a frenzy just after the body of the Ayatollah Khomeini was removed from Beheshte Zahra Cemetery in Tehran, June 6, 1989. The burial was delayed when thousands of mourners crowded the imam's body in an effort to touch their leader. Credit: AP/Greg English
EDITOR’S NOTE: On June 6, 1989, millions of Iranians turned out in the streets to bury Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The situation quickly got out of control.
Those in the crowd beat their chests rhythmically in the intense summer heat, the wails of women cutting through the noise. Mourners rushed the casket, causing the 86-year-old religious leader's white-wrapped body to tumble out into the crowd.
Initial reports said the chaos killed at least eight people and injured some 11,000 others. It was recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest percentage of a population to attend a funeral, drawing an estimated 10.2 million people — about one-sixth of Iran’s population at the time
Now, as Iran prepares to bury the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Associated Press is making its story and historic photographs of Khomeini's funeral available. The story has been edited for typographical errors, but maintains the AP style of the day.
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