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There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters Staff at three hospitals in Iran have told the BBC that their facilities have been overwhelmed with dead and injured patients as large-scale anti-government protests continue across the country

A medical worker at a hospital in Tehran said young people were shot “directly in the head and the heart,” while a doctor said a major eye hospital in the capital had been placed into crisis mode.

Two medical workers who spoke to the BBC said they treated injuries caused by live ammunition as well as pellets.

On Friday, the United States again warned that killing protesters would be met with a military response. Iran accused the US of turning peaceful protests into what it described as “violent subversive acts and widespread vandalism.”

Reacting to the developments, President Donald Trump wrote on social media:
“Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”

Warning: This report contains graphic descriptions of death and injury.

The protests began two weeks ago in Tehran over economic hardship.

They have since spread to more than 100 cities and towns across all of Iran’s provinces. Hundreds of protesters are believed to have been killed or injured, while many others have been detained. BBC Persian has confirmed the identities of 26 victims, including six children.

Members of the security forces have also been killed, with one human rights group putting the number at 14.

BBC Persian has verified that 70 bodies were brought to Poursina Hospital in the northern city of Rasht on Friday night. As the morgue was full, the bodies had to be removed. According to a hospital source, authorities demanded 7 billion rials (around £5,222 or $7,000) from families in order to release the bodies for burial.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

The BBC and most international news organisations are unable to report from inside Iran. A near-total internet blackout has been in place since Thursday evening, making it extremely difficult to gather and verify information.

A hospital worker in Tehran described “horrific scenes,” saying there were so many injured that medical staff did not even have time to perform CPR.

“Around 38 people died. Many died as soon as they reached emergency beds. Young people were shot directly in the head and heart. Many never made it to the hospital.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

“There was no space left in the morgue, so the bodies were placed on top of one another.

“When the morgue became full, the bodies were stacked in the prayer room,” the worker said.

According to the hospital staff, most of the dead and injured were young people aged between 20 and 25.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

A doctor who contacted the BBC via a Starlink satellite connection on Friday night said Tehran’s main eye hospital, Farabi Hospital, had entered crisis mode, with emergency services overwhelmed.

Non-urgent admissions and surgeries were suspended, and additional staff were urgently called in.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

Iranian security forces frequently use shotguns firing pellet-filled cartridges during confrontations with protesters.

A doctor from Kashan in central Iran told the BBC that many injured protesters had suffered gunshot wounds to their eyes. Hospitals across the city reported receiving large numbers of wounded protesters on Friday night.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

Similar accounts emerged on Thursday night.

A doctor at a medical centre in Tehran said:
“The number of injured and dead was extremely high. I saw one person who had been shot in the eye, with the bullet exiting from the back of his head.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

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“Around midnight, the centre’s doors were closed. A group of people broke the door and threw a man who had been shot inside before leaving. But it was too late — he had already died before reaching the hospital.”

The BBC also obtained video and audio messages from a medic at a hospital in the south-western city of Shiraz, who said large numbers of injured were being brought in and that the hospital lacked enough surgeons to cope.

Footage emerging from Iran shows large crowds of protesters on the streets of Tehran on Friday night, vehicles set on fire, and a government building burned in Karaj near the capital.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

The Iranian army later announced it would join security forces in defending public property.

This came amid reports that security forces were stretched thin due to the nationwide spread of unrest.

Iranian authorities issued coordinated warnings to protesters on Friday, with the National Security Council stating that “decisive” legal action would be taken against what it called “armed vandals.”

Iran Protests: Hospitals Overrun as Medics Report Mass Casualties

Hospitals across Iran are facing unprecedented pressure as anti-government protests intensify nationwide, with medical workers describing scenes of chaos, mass casualties, and an overwhelming number of young victims.

Medical staff at multiple hospitals told the BBC that emergency wards were flooded with protesters suffering gunshot wounds, many caused by live ammunition and pellet rounds. Doctors reported fatal injuries to the head, chest, and eyes, with some victims dying before receiving any medical treatment.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

In Tehran, a senior medical worker said dozens of people died within hours, leaving hospital morgues beyond capacity. Bodies were reportedly stacked in prayer rooms after morgues filled up.

Iran’s main eye hospital, Farabi Hospital, was forced into crisis mode as a surge in patients with severe eye injuries overwhelmed staff. Non-essential surgeries were suspended and emergency teams worked around the clock.

Protests that began two weeks ago over economic hardship in Tehran have now spread to more than 100 cities nationwide. Human rights groups and BBC Persian report that hundreds have been killed or injured, including children, while mass arrests continue.

In Rasht, 70 bodies were delivered to a single hospital in one night, according to verified sources. Families were reportedly asked to pay large sums to retrieve bodies for burial.

There Wasn’t Even Time for CPR’: Iranian Medics Describe Hospitals Overwhelmed with Dead and Injured Protesters

The situation remains difficult to verify due to a near-total internet shutdown and restrictions on international media. However, footage circulating online shows widespread unrest, burning vehicles, and attacks on government buildings.

Iranian authorities have accused foreign powers, particularly the United States, of fueling violence, while issuing stern warnings of “decisive” action against protesters. The Iranian army has announced it will assist security forces in protecting public property.

As the unrest continues, doctors warn that hospitals are reaching breaking point — and that the true death toll may be far higher than officially acknowledged.