Evaluation of autopsied refugee deaths in Izmir, Turkey

Abstract

Izmir is a city in Turkey where both tourists and refugees concentrate, making it home to many foreign nationals. In recent years, many refugees have tried to reach Europe via Izmir and the Aegean Sea. In this study, we examine autopsy reports on foreigners who died in Izmir between 2015 and 2020, and we compare the data with relevant international studies. This study analysed the autopsy reports of foreign nationals in Izmir, in terms of demographic data, date of death, place of death, manner of death, source of death, histopathology and toxicology results and exact cause of death. A total of 9951 autopsies were performed between 2015 and 2020 in Izmir, of which 538 (5.4%) were on foreign nationals. Of the autopsy cases in our study, 55.4% were performed on males and 44.6% were performed on females; 32.5% of the cases died between the ages of 0 and 10 years. Syrian nationals comprise 29.7% of the total cases. Of the autopsies of Syrian nationals, 80% died between the ages of 0 and 10. The cause of death was determined to be drowning in 42.4% of all cases. Information gathered from autopsies performed on foreign nationals can contribute to an understanding of the common problems of refugees, which can aid in the alleviation of some migration issues by drawing attention to the mass deaths of refugees in the Aegean Sea, the health problems experienced by children during their journey, and the deaths of refugee children.