Iran has been gripped by widespread anti-government protests that began on December 28 over rising living costs and inflation but have since escalated into broader unrest. Security forces reportedly opened fire in several areas to suppress the demonstrations. A Tehran-based doctor told the U.S. magazine Time that at least 217 protesters had died in six hospitals in the capital, most from gunshot wounds.

The Iranian government has not commented on the reported death toll. Internet and telecommunications were almost completely shut down across the country on Thursday night. The same doctor claimed that authorities removed bodies from hospitals on Friday, saying most of the victims were young. The Iranian human rights group HRANA reported that at least 62 people had been killed since the protests began, including 14 security personnel and 48 protesters.

According to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, eight members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed during clashes in the western city of Kermanshah on Thursday.