Victim traditionally means the subject of a sacrifice. And sacrifice is distinguished as being a deliberate rather than accidental act. Losing one’s thumb to a bandsaw or getting struck by lightning does not make one anybody’s sacrifice, despite being unfortunate. Contrast to the use of “victor”, where it would make little sense to describe a bandsaw or thunderstorm as “victorious” over anyone, because it is an event rather than a conscious agent.
Calling those who experience illness or natural disasters “victims” is an exercise in anthropomorphic hyperbole which it seems people have simply become accustomed to. I don’t mind it as a poetic exercise. But referring to them as “casualties” - those who suffered by chance - would be more accurate.
