Newly verified videos from Iran show bodies stacked inside a hospital, armed men positioned on rooftops and surveillance cameras being destroyed, offering rare glimpses of a sweeping crackdown on anti-government protests as authorities enforce a near-total internet blackout.

BBC Verify said it has authenticated multiple videos filmed on January 8 and 9, believed to be among the deadliest days since nationwide unrest erupted in late December. The protests intensified after calls for mass demonstrations by Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late shah.

Human rights groups have reported sharply differing death tolls. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has confirmed nearly 6,000 deaths, most of them protesters, and is reviewing thousands more reports received despite the communications shutdown. Norway-based Iran Human Rights has warned the final toll could exceed 25,000. Iranian authorities have acknowledged more than 3,100 deaths, saying most were security personnel or bystanders harmed by what they described as rioters.

One verified clip shows dozens of bodies inside a mortuary at Tehranpars Hospital in east Tehran, with additional footage showing body bags outside the entrance. Other videos capture large crowds protesting on highways as gunfire is heard, and protesters attempting to disable CCTV cameras to evade surveillance.

Footage from cities including Kerman and Mashhad shows armed men in military attire firing weapons and individuals positioned on rooftops with rifles. BBC Verify said it has tracked protests across at least 71 towns and cities, though the actual number is likely higher.

Since January 8, most of the country has experienced an internet blackout, severely limiting independent reporting. Some Iranians have briefly accessed the internet using satellite services or virtual private networks, allowing videos to surface despite restrictions.

With inputs from BBC