Mass graves for Iranian coronavirus victims seen from space

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Satellite images show what are believed to be mass graves for coronavirus victims outside the Iranian city of Qom, according to the Washington Post.

Two large trenches extending 100 yards in total were excavated in a new section of the graveyard at the Behesht-e Masoumeh complex. The digging began as early as Feb. 21.

Iran has experienced one of the largest outbreaks of COVID-19 outside of China. The Health Ministry says some 10,000 people have been infected and 429 people have died, including members of parliament and a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Post talked to a senior imagery analyst at Maxar Technologies in Colorado who said the size of the trenches and the speed with which they were excavated are not normal for the graveyard, which has individual and family plots. The analyst wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the subject.

In satellite imagery from October, a large section of the cemetery appears unused. The imagery was provided to The Washington Post by Maxar Technologies, a Colorado-based space technology company.#Iran#CoronavirusPandemic pic.twitter.com/upi9NVg4Mc — Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) March 12, 2020

Social media videos shared by BBC Persian earlier this month show men carrying a casket to a trench described as “the section for coronavirus victims,” The narrator says more than 80 people had been buried there so far “and they say only 34 deaths,” apparently referring to the official death toll on Feb. 28.

Some of the videos show a large pile identified as white lime. Iran health officials previously confirmed the use of lime in controlling decay and odor when burying coronavirus victims.

Read the full story in the Washington Post.

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate

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