Nagaland records 31% rise in accidental deaths; road mishaps top list: NCRB data

Moa Jamir
Dimapur | October 5

Accidental deaths in Nagaland surged by 30.9% in 2023, with road mishaps emerging as the leading cause, according to the latest ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2023’ report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The State recorded 72 accidental deaths in 2021, which declined to 55 in 2022, but reverted to the same figure in 2023. 

Despite the increase in cases, however, the rate of accidental deaths in Nagaland—or deaths per one lakh population was the lowest in the country at 3.2, well below the national average of 31.9. 

The next lowest was the Union Territory of Lakshadweep at 4. The rate of accidental deaths in Nagaland was 2.5 in 2022.

Road accidents claim most lives

However, in a concerning trend, traffic accidents dominated both in terms of cases and casualties. In 2023, out of 70 cases, traffic-related accidents accounted for over 62% at 44.

Besides, traffic accidents continued to be the leading cause with 46 casualties and 37 injuries in 2023, out of a total of 72 accidental deaths in the State. Within traffic-related fatalities, road accidents claimed 28 lives, while railway crossing accidents caused nine deaths.

The number of traffic accident cases in Nagaland also rose sharply from 29 in 2022 to 44 in 2023, representing the highest percentage increase in India among all States and Union Territories. 

Likewise, road accident cases also increased by 45.8% from 24 to 35 during the same period.

By type of vehicle, cars, jeeps and SUVs were involved in the highest number of fatalities (24 deaths), followed by trucks and lorries (8 deaths), two-wheelers (4 deaths), and three-wheelers (1 death).

Other causes

Besides traffic-related incidents, other causes of accidental deaths in the State included accidental fires (4 deaths), drowning (6), sudden deaths (5), falls (3), firearms (2), collapse of structures (1), and other causes (5). 

The report noted no deaths due to natural forces in 2023, compared to three such deaths in 2022.

Men accounted for the majority of victims of accidental deaths in Nagaland, with 60 male deaths compared to 12 female deaths, aligning the national trend, where former constituted over 80% of accidental death victims.

Maharashtra tops national tally

At the national level, India recorded 1,97,871 accidental deaths in 2023, an increase of 1.8% over the previous year. Maharashtra reported the highest number of accidental deaths in the country at 69,809, contributing 15.7% of the national total, followed by Uttar Pradesh (43,207 deaths) and Madhya Pradesh (43,532 deaths).

The highest rate of accidental deaths was recorded in Ladakh (75.4), followed by Puducherry (66.5) and Maharashtra (55.1).

Suicides decline sharply

While accidental deaths rose, Nagaland saw a significant decline in suicides during the same period. The State recorded 36 suicides in 2023, down 26.5% from 49 in 2022. Nagaland’s suicide rate stood at 1.6 per one lakh population, ranking it as the third lowest in India, after Manipur (0.8) and Bihar (0.7). The national average suicide rate was 12.2, nearly eight times higher than that of Nagaland.

Across the country, 1,71,418 suicides were recorded in 2023, showing a marginal rise of 0.3% over 2022 (1,70,924 suicides). The highest number of suicides was reported from Maharashtra (23,546 deaths), followed by Tamil Nadu (19,523), Madhya Pradesh (15,386), West Bengal (14,241), and Karnataka (13,580). Among the Union Territories, Delhi reported the highest number at 3,203 cases.

At the rate level, Puducherry (52.8) topped the list, followed by Sikkim (48.6), Chhattisgarh (33.8), and Tamil Nadu (26.5).

According to the NCRB, family problems (other than marriage-related issues) accounted for 31.9% of suicides, followed by illness (19.0%) and drug or alcohol addiction (7.0%). These three factors together made up nearly 58% of total suicides in 2023.

The report also noted that the male-to-female ratio among suicide victims stood at 72.8:27.2, and the majority of victims were aged between 30 and 45 years.