The number of victims of the New Year holidays in Iran has increased to 15 people.

In Iran, as a result of incidents related to the Chaharshanbeh-Suri fire festival, at least 15 people were killed and more than 4.8 thousand were injured. This was reported on March 18 by the IRNA news agency.

"Among the injured, 257 people had limbs amputated, 1,594 suffered eye injuries and 1,282 people suffered burns," said a representative of the Iranian emergency services.

At the same time, it is specified that the number of deaths decreased by 21% compared to last year. A significant part of the injuries were related to safety violations during the storage and use of incendiary materials.

"The Fire Festival, which is called Chaharshanbeh-Suri in Farsi, is celebrated every year on the night of the last Tuesday of the Iranian calendar year, which ends on March 20. The holiday is part of Iran's pre—Islamic heritage," the agency recalls.

In January, at least 15 people were killed in a stampede at the Kumbha Mela religious festival in the Indian city of Prayagraj. It is reported that many injured visitors were hospitalized at the religious festival. However, some of them are in serious condition.