Homicidal deaths and injuries by bomb blasts in Dera Ismail Khan

ABSTRACT

Bombs are explosive devices used for homicidal purposes. The present study was conducted to know about the death and injuries due to bomb blasts in Dera Ismail Khan. This descriptive study was conducted from January 2007 to December 2008. The data was collected from autopsy and medico-legal records of all dead and injured persons at DHQ Teaching Hospital and Department of Forensic Medicine Gomal Medical College, D. I. Khan. Three hundred and forty-one un-natural deaths were reported and subjected to autopsy examination during the study period. Homicidal deaths constituted 256 [75%] of all autopsies. Out of homicidal deaths 82 [32.96%] were caused by blast injuries. Similarly 2153 injured persons were examined and recorded in the medico-legal register. Out of whom 253 [11.75%] were due to bomb blasts. In death cases, 461 injuries were found in various body regions giving an average of 5.62 injuries per person, and in injured person the number of injuries was 659, with average of 2.6 injuries per person. Lower extremities sustained the highest number of injuries both in dead and injured ones, followed by the head and neck injuries in dead and upper extremity injuries in the injured ones. Death due to bomb blasts are the second major cause of homicidal deaths after firearm in Dera Ismail Khan. Lower extremity injuries are the commonest in both dead and injured persons, followed by the head and neck injuries in dead and upper extremity injuries in the injured ones