TEHRAN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's National Medical Emergency Organization announced Wednesday that 2,817 people were injured and 19 dead as a result of using dangerous fireworks or doing high-risk activities during the celebrations of Chaharshanbe Suri, or Fire Festival.
The organization's spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said that 90 percent of the injured have been treated and released from medical centers, according to semi-official Mehr news agency.
He added the number of amputations due to the injuries suffered during Tuesday night's incidents stood at 171, saying 880 people have suffered eye injuries and 850 got moderate burns.
Fire Festival is celebrated by Iranians on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz, the Iranian new year, which begins on March 21 this year.
During the occasion, families light a bonfire and jump over it, while making wishes for a prosperous new year.
Although the festival has survived through centuries, sometimes it is also associated with dangers, as the new generations use fireworks and improvised explosives to mark the event, often causing injuries. ■
