Characteristics of disaster‐related deaths and causal events from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake: A one‐year descriptive study of public data from Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

The Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred on January 1, 2024, and many disaster-related deaths were reported. We investigated the characteristics and causes of disaster-related deaths in the year following the Noto Peninsula earthquake. We used 270 texts as data on disaster-related deaths in Ishikawa Prefecture released by local governments from January to December 2024. Data included demographics, causes of death, and causal events leading to death. Causes of death were classified using International Classification of Disease-10 codes, and descriptive statistics were obtained for demographics and causes of death. We used text mining to analyze the causal events and describe the causal factors leading to disaster-related deaths. There were no sex-based differences, and approximately 95% of the victims were in their 70s or older. The most common cause of death was cardiovascular disease (46 cases, 33.8%), followed by respiratory disease (45 cases, 33.1%). The text-mining results showed that events related to transportation, such as "environmental changes due to transportation between facilities" and "worsening of general condition due to long hours of transportation," were specifically identified as causal events. Disaster-related deaths due to this earthquake were similar to those during past disasters, and events related to the transportation of older adults highlighted the possibility that deaths may have accelerated. Healthcare providers and disaster policymakers should create systems that allow long-term, continuous healthcare for older adults at high risk of disaster-related deaths without transporting them from their communities to the degree possible.