At least 21 killed in Chaharshanbe Suri incidents of 1403

The head of Iran's Emergency Organization reports that 21 people across Iran died due to incidents related to the Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations, marking a 23% increase compared to last year. Jafar Miadfar announced on Wednesday, March 29, that hundreds more were injured in these incidents. He confirmed that at least three people died in Tehran and noted the transfer of 450 injured individuals to hospitals. This official also reported 172 cases of amputations and about 933 eye injuries, stating that at least four ambulances in Tehran were severely damaged and rendered unusable. According to Miadfar, a total of 2,466 people were injured due to the Chaharshanbe Suri events, with 2,410 of them being hospitalized. Overall, 1,040 burn cases were recorded during the Chaharshanbe Suri incidents, with most occurring in Tehran, West Azerbaijan, and East Azerbaijan provinces. The spokesperson for the country's Emergency Organization also mentioned that five ambulances in cities other than the capital were also rendered unusable, bringing the total number of destroyed ambulances to nine. Babak Yektaparsat emphasized the increase in the number of injured compared to last year, noting that 18% of the injured in the days leading up to this year's Chaharshanbe Suri were 'pedestrians.' This emergency official also complained about the high rate of prank calls to the emergency services, stating that it constituted about 10% of total calls. Restrictions and prohibitions imposed by the Islamic Republic in recent years have led people and youth to resort to non-standard and unsafe fireworks and, in many cases, homemade devices for celebrations, resulting in significant injuries and even deaths for many Iranians, especially on the eve of Nowruz. This year, the overlap of the celebrations with the last days of Ramadan heightened the sensitivity of officials in enforcing restrictions and strict measures, which may indirectly contribute to the increase in the number of injured compared to previous years. Additionally, the head of Iran's traffic police announced on Wednesday that 21 people lost their lives and 695 were injured in 2,690 traffic accidents in the 24 hours leading up to March 28. Ahmad Karami Asad reported that from March 25 to 28, over 13,000 accidents occurred across Iran, resulting in 87 deaths and 3,075 injuries. Iran has one of the highest road mortality rates in the world, and the head of the forensic medical organization stated that in 1402, after 10 years, the number of traffic accident fatalities in Iran exceeded 20,000.