Warning: This story contains details which some readers might find distressing.

An Iranian woman who witnessed the bloody crackdown on protests in Iran has described how her neighbourhood turned into a “war zone” as security forces opened fire at crowds with live ammunition.

A government-imposed internet blackout in Iran, now in its third week, has prevented many accounts of what has happened from reaching the wider world.

But some Iranians who have left the country have been able to share what they have seen.

Parnia, who lives in London, told the BBC that she was visiting her family in the central city of Isfahan when the protests broke out in the capital, Tehran. They quickly spread across the country, and within days there were hundreds of protesters in the Hakim Nezami and Khaghani neighbourhoods of Isfahan.

“There were women and men from seven to 70 years old,” she said. “On just one street there were 200 to 300 people. People were chanting ‘Death to the dictator’ and ‘Long live the shah’.” The “dictator” was Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the shah a reference to Iran’s late last monarch, overthrown in the 1979 Islamic revolution, and his son, the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Isfahan has seen protests and crackdowns down the years. But Parnia said she had never seen anything like what happened during the recent unrest, which was sparked by anger over the collapse of the Iranian currency.

First, security forces fired tear gas at the protesters, she said. Then they formed a line and fired birdshot.

“I saw people getting shot and falling down, and I saw blood on the street.”

Parnia said she ran away down alleyways and was suddenly pulled into an apartment block by a woman. Inside, she said, were many injured protesters.

“I saw the lobby floor covered in blood, and I saw a girl whose leg was full of pellets.”

Videos verified by the BBC from that night show large numbers of people in the streets in Isfahan. Some streets were blocked by traffic sign poles and large metal sheets, in an apparent effort by protesters to protect themselves from gunfire.

Footage also showed protesters breaking through the gates of the building of the national broadcaster Irib, which was later set on fire.

On Friday morning, 9 January, Khamenei said Iran would not back down from dealing with what he called “destructive elements”, a day after US President Donald Trump had threatened to hit Iran “very hard” if authorities started killing people.

Following Khamenei’s speech, the powerful Revolutionary Guards sent a text message to people across Iran, telling them to avoid gatherings on streets in areas of unrest. The messages also warned against co-operating with what it described as “terrorist mercenaries” – an act it said would constitute treason.

Despite the risks, Parnia went out to protest again on Friday evening.

“The protesters were hopeful,” she said. “You could see fear on everyone’s faces. We were afraid to pass in front of the security forces and come closer together,” she said.

“We thought even if we get killed, it would be a reason for Trump to act faster.”

Footage obtained by the BBC from the previous day shows large crowds on main streets in Parnia’s neighbourhood. But she said on the Friday it was different.

“Protesters were in small groups gathered in alleyways. Every time that someone tried to gather in the larger street, we could hear live fire sound followed by screams and shouts.”

Because of the internet blackouts, and protesters avoiding taking their phones with them, the BBC has not yet obtained footage from Friday night.

Parnia also described a scene of “total chaos” at a local clinic that was treating wounded protesters.

“No phone lines were working. Nobody could call their families, and many refused to go to hospitals, fearing they could be arrested there,” she said.

“All the nurses could do was clean the wounds and send them home. The next day you could still smell the tear gasses in the air. Security forces were present and there were checkpoints across the city.”

Parnia left Isfahan that same day and travelled to the capital, Tehran, to catch a flight back to London.

“I arrived in Tehran at 6pm. All the shops were closed and many people gathered in the streets. At 8pm everyone started to chant and I could hear gunshots,” she said.

“The airport was so busy. Many foreign airlines were cancelled and people were frustrated. Luckily, I found an Iranian flight to leave.”

Since her return to the UK, Parnia has been in touch with her friends in Isfahan.

She said she learned from a source that doctors at Feiz eye hospital in Isfahan had carried out around 300 surgical procedures to remove the eyes of patients with birdshot-related facial injuries.

“Every time you go out into the streets, you see random people with eye patches,” Parnia’s friends told her.

According to several health workers who spoke to the BBC, hospitals are monitored and controlled by security forces, and people with gunshot wounds in Isfahan are being arrested.

“Many of the injured are developing infections. Some doctors are referring them to surgeons who can treat them in private clinics,” Parnia’s cited her friends as saying.

While Iranian authorities have said around 3,000 people were killed during the protests, US-based human rights group HRANA has so far confirmed more than 4,600 deaths, with another 9,700 cases still under review. According to the group, at least 7,300 people have also sustained serious injuries. Many believe the true figures may be even higher.

Parnia said she was now preparing to join Iranian opposition protests in the UK, saying she wants to be a voice for the silenced protesters.

She also expressed anger at international media reports suggesting that Iranians and the country’s political opposition was not united.

“Iranians have shown what they want in the streets and paid a high price for it.”