TEHRAN, March 13 The number of people injured in Iran during during the pre-New Year celebration of Chaharshanbe-Suri, exceeded 3,200 people, the death toll remains at the same level of 14 people, the Iranian news agency Mehr reports.
Previously, the same agency reported 2,114 victims.
«Until midnight on Tuesday, the total number of casualties in the country during the Chaharshanbe-Suri celebration reached 3,267 people… The death toll remains at 14,» the report said.
3253 people were injured, of which 463 were taken to medical institutions by ambulance teams. Among the victims, 189 people lost limbs, 1,070 had injured eyes, and 981 received burns.
Chaharshanbe-Suri — an ancient fire festival on New Year's Eve in Iran — Noruza (comes on March 21). The holiday marks the arrival of spring and the rebirth of nature. Chaharshanbe-Suri is celebrated on the night of the last Wednesday of the calendar year (in Iran, Wednesday is pronounced «chaharshanbe»), but the festivities themselves begin two to three weeks in advance. According to tradition, in the evening Iranians light bonfires in the streets and jump over them.
Modern celebration customs include the use of household pyrotechnics — fireworks, firecrackers. Often, safety precautions are not observed in the manufacture and use of this kind of materials, which is why explosions occur in residential buildings and on the streets, and passers-by, children and adults, including people with poor health, can suffer from carelessly thrown firecrackers.