Sacks of bodies piled in the yard of the Kahrizak forensic facility, a medical examiner's office on the outskirts of Tehran [AP=Yonhap News]

A report has emerged stating that the number of people who died during the recent large-scale anti-government protests in Iran could be as high as 30,000, far exceeding the official figures released by Iran and estimates by overseas human rights organizations.

On January 25 (local time), the U.S. news magazine Time reported online, citing two high-ranking officials from Iran's Ministry of Health, that as many as 30,000 people may have died in just the two days of November 8-9, when the anti-government protests in Iran reached their peak.

These officials added that so many people were massacred by Iranian security forces at the time that the supply of body bags ran out, and trucks had to be used as ambulances, overwhelming the authorities' capacity to handle the deceased.

On January 21, Iranian authorities announced that the death toll related to the protests was 3,117.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) stated that it has confirmed 5,137 deaths. The organization explained that in addition to the confirmed deaths, they are currently investigating another 12,904 cases and that there are at least 7,402 additional severely injured individuals.

In Iran, protests were triggered by an economic crisis on November 28 last month, which escalated into large-scale, nationwide anti-government demonstrations. After the Iranian authorities completely shut down internet access on November 8, they launched a bloody crackdown, leading to a surge in casualties. The recent protests appear to have subsided for now.