According to the state news agency IRNA, at least 26 individuals were killed and 4,368 others were injured in incidents associated to the Chaharshanbe Suri, or Fire Festival, held two days earlier.
According to Jafar Miadfar, chairman of Iran‘s National Medical Emergency Agency, 229 people were amputated for serious injuries while 1,428 others received eye damage.
According to Miadfar, the number of casualties this year has increased by 22% year on year.
According to Miadfar, the provinces with the most casualties were Tehran, East Azarbaijan, Hamedan, West Azarbaijan, Qazvin, and Fars.
Males account for 79% of those injured, with children aged six to 18 accounting for 44% of those injured.
Iranians celebrate the Fire Festival on the eve of the final Wednesday before Nowruz, the Persian new year, which begins on March 21 this year. According to the Xinhua news agency, celebrations often begin days before the occasion.
Iranians celebrate the Fire Festival by jumping over bonfires and setting off firecrackers in public areas to say goodbye to the old year and hello to the next.
