Alarm over big rise in deaths of asylum seekers

The number of asylum seekers who have died in the care of the Home Office has more than doubled in the last year, according to data shared with the Guardian, a development that has been described as "deeply troubling".

- Diane Taylor

While some deaths were a result of illness or old age, others are thought to have happened as a result of suicide, with charities fearing that treatment of asylum seekers in Britain has adversely affected the health of an already vulnerable group of people.

Many have fled persecution in their home countries where some experienced rape and torture or ,abuse by traffickers on their journey in search of safety.

The data relates to January-June 2024, when 28 people died, including two babies - one from Pakistan and another from Afghanistan - and a 15-year-old boy from Iraq. Figures obtained by the NGO the Civil Fleet show that for the same period in 2023, there were 13 deaths.

Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "The fact that there has been a sharp rise in the deaths of people in asylum accommodation is deeply troubling."