Related Experiment Videos
Terrorism in Turkey
Ulkumen Rodoplu1, Jeffrey Arnold, Gurkan Ersoy
1Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey, Izmir, Turkey. ulkumenrodoplu@ttnet.net.tr
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
|April 13, 2004
Summary
Terrorism in Turkey caused 30,000-35,000 deaths from 1984-2000, primarily from bombings and shootings. Most attacks required only local emergency medical services, though major incidents spurred response system development.
Area of Science:
- Public Health and Disaster Medicine
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems
- Terrorism Impact Analysis
Background:
- Turkey has experienced significant loss of life due to terrorism over two decades, with an estimated 30,000-35,000 fatalities between 1984 and 2000.
- The Partiya Karekerren Kurdistan (PKK) was the primary perpetrator of terrorism, predominantly in eastern and southeastern Turkey, with most incidents being bombings or shootings causing fewer than 10 casualties.
- Exceptional events, such as the 1993 Hotel Madimak arson attack, resulted in mass casualties, highlighting the need for robust emergency response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the pattern of terrorist attacks in Turkey over two decades.
- To assess the scale of casualties and the required emergency medical response.
- To identify developments in Turkey's emergency medical response systems in light of terrorism.
Main Methods:
- Review of terrorism-related events and casualty data in Turkey from 1984 to 2003.
- Categorization of attacks by type (bombings, shootings, arsons) and casualty count.
- Analysis of the geographical focus of terrorist activities and their impact on emergency medical services.
Main Results:
- The majority of terrorist incidents resulted in fewer than 10 casualties, typically managed by local emergency medical response.
- Fifteen major terrorist attacks (1984-2003) caused 30 or more casualties, including shootings, bombings, and arsons.
- The Hotel Madimak arson in 1993 was the deadliest single event, with 93 fatalities.
Conclusions:
- Terrorist attacks in Turkey generally did not overwhelm local emergency medical systems, except in specific mass-casualty incidents.
- The development of specialized emergency medicine, EMS training, standardized hospital emergency plans, and advanced trauma care has strengthened Turkey's response capabilities.
- These advancements in emergency medical services are crucial for managing the impact of terrorism and other mass casualty events in Turkey.