Iran's nationwide Internet blackout remained largely in place as the reported death toll from recent protests continued to rise, with one account saying the number of fatalities may exceed 30,000.

The digital rights watchdog NetBlocks said on January 25 that Iran's Internet shutdown has nowpassed 400 hours, adding that "brief connectivity spikes" may give a false impression of wider restoration. It said circumvention tools such as VPNs have allowed limited online communication.

Human rights groups say the blackout has hampered protesters' ability to organize and restricted the flow of information, making independent verification of casualties difficult.

The US-based rights organization HRANA, whose figures RFE/RL has been regularly citing since the violent crackdown began in Iran earlier this month, says itsconfirmed death tollis now 5,848, and the number of fatalities still under investigation is 17,091.

However, a report published by Time magazine says the number of fatalities in the Iran protests may exceed 30,000, according to two senior Iranian health officials it spoke to.

Thereport, published on January 25, said the majority of deaths occurred on January 89, when the government's crackdown on nationwide protests reached its peak. Due to intense censorship and the prolonged Internet shutdown, reported death toll figures for the protests cannot be independently verified.