MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Suicides and traffic accidents main causes of death in Uruguay

According to a report by the United Nations Development Programme, suicides and accidents are the cause of the greatest number of violent deaths in Uruguay. Homicides came in third place.

The report on violence, criminality and insecurity in Uruguay was carried out by the Ministry of the Interior and the National Observatory on Violence and Criminality along with the supra national organization. The report showed that 16.7 out of 100,000 inhabitants committed suicide, while 13.2 died in traffic accidents. 6.1 out of 100,000 were murdered. In the violent situations category, domestic violence cases are the highest number reported, followed by robberies. Until 1996, the suicide rate was effectively double the homicide rate. Starting in 1997, this gap began to increase, as the rate of suicides began to increase significantly. Theft is the most common crime with 109,000 reports in 2007. The report shows that homicides have not increased. 51% were the result of firearms, 28% were from sharp instruments and 18% fell into the "other" category, including tools, hammers, sticks, stones and similar items.