Comparing the number of dead they witnessed with hospital baselines, they estimate it could exceed 30,000, far surpassing official figures. Graveyard and forensic medical staff describe chaos, with reports of authorities pushing for fast, mass burials to conceal the number dead. At one morgue, staff say they were confronted with several trucks loaded with bodies, far exceeding the facility’s refrigeration and storage capacity. View image in fullscreen A still from a video shows bodies lying inside the Kahrizak forensic medical centre in Tehran, with what appear to be relatives searching for loved ones. Staff told him that “the order was to bury these bodies in mass graves,” but many refused, afraid of reprisals.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2026 14:24 UTC