12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
[P-09] The cause of death analysis based on the deceased’s data in the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami: A case study of Miyagi prefecture
Keywords:2011 Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami, Disaster science, Location of the deceased, Science of human survival from disaster
About 20,000 people died in the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami that occurred in 2011. According to the National Police Agency (2012), 90% of the deceased in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures were drowned. Aoki et al. (2012) reported the results of questionnaires to physicians who actually examined in the affected areas. The questionnaire result showed that the statistical result about the cause of death reported by National Police Agency was reasonable, and that some physicians could not but describe it as drowning as a realistic problem.
This suggests that the deceased in a tsunami disaster may diefromcause of death other than drowning. According to Mainichi Shimbun newspaper (2011) and Kahoku Shimpo (2011), the survivors witnessed the deceased who died of symptoms like hypothermia after exposure to the tsunami. However, the details of the cause of death excluding drowning has not been elucidated yet.
In this study, we classified the causes of death inthe 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami using the deceased’s data provided by Miyagi Prefecture Police. The number of original descriptions about the cause of death was 140. And we classified the cause of death based on ICD-10 and discussed the classified result with a doctor of forensic medicine. As a result, we concluded that the 140 descriptions were classified into the following 12 groups; Injuries to the head, Injuries to the neck, Injuries to the thorax, Unspecified multiple injuries, Traumatic shock, Asphyxiation except drowning, Drowning, Death due to fire, Hypothermia, Heart disease, The others death and Death from unknown origin. In addition, we also showed the proportion of each cause of death in Miyagi prefecture.
This suggests that the deceased in a tsunami disaster may diefromcause of death other than drowning. According to Mainichi Shimbun newspaper (2011) and Kahoku Shimpo (2011), the survivors witnessed the deceased who died of symptoms like hypothermia after exposure to the tsunami. However, the details of the cause of death excluding drowning has not been elucidated yet.
In this study, we classified the causes of death inthe 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami using the deceased’s data provided by Miyagi Prefecture Police. The number of original descriptions about the cause of death was 140. And we classified the cause of death based on ICD-10 and discussed the classified result with a doctor of forensic medicine. As a result, we concluded that the 140 descriptions were classified into the following 12 groups; Injuries to the head, Injuries to the neck, Injuries to the thorax, Unspecified multiple injuries, Traumatic shock, Asphyxiation except drowning, Drowning, Death due to fire, Hypothermia, Heart disease, The others death and Death from unknown origin. In addition, we also showed the proportion of each cause of death in Miyagi prefecture.