Iranian emergency medical services spokesman, Mojtaba Khaledi, on Thursday said three people were killed and over 1,400 injured during celebrations of the dangerous Chaharshanbe Suri fire festival in Iran.
Khaledi said people decided to celebrate despite an official ban on mass public gatherings and Chaharshanbe Suri, in particular as Iran is currently struggling with one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
“The latest data is 1,403 people injured as a result of Chaharshanbe Suri.
“Unfortunately, three people died,’’ Khaledi said.
The number of casualties is, however, 37 per cent less than the casualties in 2019, according to a text.
The traditional festival of Chaharshanbe Suri is celebrated in Iran annually on the year’s last Wednesday before the Persian New Year’s Day, known as Nowruz, according to the Islamic revolution calendar.
The tradition is to jump over bonfires and launch fireworks.
Nowruz is due on March 20, but public celebrations, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s annual public address, have been cancelled due to the severe COVID-19 outbreak.
In the capital of Tehran, police have warned that they would immediately confront offenders and urged all residents to stay home.
Iran, so far, has had over 17,000 cases, including 1,135 fatalities and more than 5,000 people, who have recovered.
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