Satellite images released by a commercial company showed large trenches being dug in the Islamic Republic to bury the people who have passed away after contracting the Covid-19.
The images were captured by Maxar technologies and distributed to several news media outlets. The excavation of the large grave began after the first case was reported around the time the first case was reported on February 19 in Behesht-e Masoumeh cemetery in Qom, located about 80 miles south of Tehran. The images raise the speculation that the actual number would be higher than what the government has claimed so far.
According to the government around 10,000 cases have been reported in the country with more than 420 deaths. In Qom alone, there has been a report of more than 800 cases. An imagery analyst from Maxar Technologies in Colorado told the news agencies that "size of the trenches and speed with which they were dug are a departure from traditional burial practices at the site."
Non-standard burial methods
According to the US, Tehran has not released proper information regarding the disease in the country. There have been several footages on Twitter which showed the people protesting and requesting not to bury the victims of Covid-19 close to residential areas. The images that were released to the media showed two large trenches (over 100 yards in length) which were visible at the site from space.
The country is said to be following non-standard burial methods which could lead to the contamination of the soil. A video released from the Gilan province on Twitter showed people being buried in plain sight without any of the protocols being followed.
There have also been reports about the disease spreading in the prisons and other confined spaces which has led the people to request additional measures from the government.
Iran has requested the World Bank aid to help fight the new coronavirus outbreak in the country. The country is facing shortages in medical kits and other medical supplies. They have also requested more N95 face masks, ventilators, surgical gowns, testing kits, portable digital X-ray machines, and other medical supplies. Iran has reported the second-highest case of the Covid-19 in the world.
