Almost 600 people have died in traffic accidents around the New Year celebrations in Iran in the past few weeks. More than 12,000 other Iranians were injured in the nationwide accidents, the ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday evening. The police recorded significantly more road traffic than in the previous year.

The Norus New Year festival marks the beginning of spring and falls annually on March 20th or 21st, when day and night are of equal length. The millennia-old festival is considered the most beautiful holiday of the year for most Iranians. For this reason, March is also the busiest travel time in the country. Traditionally, families are visited and trips to the countryside are planned, but hotels are usually fully booked.