ITEHRAN (Iran News) –The traditional festival of fire, or Chaharshanbe Suri, which is a prelude to the Persian New Year has so far claimed 15 lives and left 4,720 people injured, according to the head of Iran’s National Medical Emergency Organization.
Jafar Miadfar said there were 189 cases of amputation of body parts and 1070 cases were related to eye injuries, adding the figures will be updated.
The capital Tehran, Eastern and Western Azarbaijan provinces topped the list of casualties.
The gloomy figures, however, showed a decline compared to the deaths and injuries in previous years, added the official.
The Iranian festival of fire is an ancient tradition celebrated ahead of the New Year but in recent years strong explosives and fireworks have replaced the traditional small bonfires, making the event more boisterous and dangerous.
The celebration falls on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz, the Iranian New Year that starts on March 21.
