Their deaths aren't that big a surprise. Look at human history and pre history. It's always the same story, poor sanitation, environmental degradation, corruption and climate.
Look how people responded to covid.
I strongly recommend two books by Jared Diamond, Guns Germs and steel, and Collapse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns%2C_Germs%2C_and_Steel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse:_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed