Coronavirus Update: Satellite Image Captures Iran’s Mass Graves For COVID-19 Victims

Images captured by a private space company’s satellite showed the mass grave sites being prepared in Iran. Trenches for the mass graves were made in preparation for the worsening condition of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

The photos of Iran’s mass graves were captured by the satellite of Maxar Technologies, a space tech company based in Colorado. The images show long trenches being made in a cemetery in Iran.

According to an analyst from Maxar, the mass graves were made at a cemetery at the Behesht-e Masoumeh complex in Qom, which is about 80 miles from Iran’s capital of Tehran. Reports indicated that excavations for the trenches began in late February. According to Maxar, the mass graves being prepared in the area are so large they can be seen from space.

In the image captured by the company’s satellite known as WorldView-3, the new trenches spanning about a hundred yards each can be seen. Located near the trenches is a large pile of white substance, which could be lime. This substance is often used to mask the odor of decaying bodies in mass graves.

According to the Washington Post, statements from local officials confirmed that the trenches were made in preparation for the rising number of coronavirus victims in Qom.

Recently, the company reported a huge spike in the number of deaths caused by the outbreak. As indicated in the latest reports, Iran’s Health Ministry reported 113 deaths on Sunday, bringing the total of the country’s death toll to 724.

With the number of confirmed cases in Iran reaching almost 14,000, the country is being considered as the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East. Health officials warned that if the number of confirmed cases continues to increase, the country’s facilities may not be enough to accommodate all COVID-19 patients in Iran.

Despite the growing death toll and confirmed cases in the country, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran still refused to impose a general quarantine. Rouhani blamed the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Iran as the main cause behind the country’s slow response to the growing outbreak, Fox News reported.