ISTANBUL

An Iranian doctor in the country's northeastern city of Neyshabur said that authorities killed "at least 30 people" there on Friday by using "military rifles."

“Among them were children. A 5-year-old child was shot while in his mother’s arms," the doctor told CNN.

The attacks injured many people, and authorities also fired on bystanders and pedestrians, she claimed.

The hospitals are overwhelmed, and patients were "terrified" to be admitted or identified, prompting efforts to treat people privately in clinics, the doctor added.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the casualty figures she cited.

Iran has been rocked by waves of protests since last month, starting Dec. 28 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, over the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. Demonstrations later spread to several other cities.

There are no official estimates on casualties, but the non-governmental organization HRANA put the death toll at 65, with over 2,300 others detained.