Early estimates from the Hashd al-Shaabi put the number of mourners in Karbala at over four million, with crowds spilling into the streets long before the formal ceremony began, Press TV reported.
The procession in Karbala followed a historic farewell ceremony in Najaf, where an estimated 3.8 million mourners packed the streets and courtyards of the shrine of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), the first Shia Imam.
The body of the late Leader, who was martyred on February 28 in a US-Israeli airstrike, was then transported to Karbala, where it will be carried to the shrines of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and his brother Hazrat Abbas (peace be upon him) for commemorative ceremonies.
In Najaf, the scale of the turnout was described as unprecedented, as many mourners had traveled overnight from across Iraq and beyond.
The body of the late Leader, accompanied by the remains of his family members who were assassinated alongside him, was transported from Najaf to Karbala on Wednesday afternoon via the famous Arbaeen road.
MNA