A hotel in Istanbul has been evacuated following the deaths of a tourist mother and her two children from suspected food poisoning.
The Böcek family, from Germany, reportedly became sick on Nov. 12 after eating popular street food dishes at local vendors within the neighbourhood of Ortakoy.
They were rushed to the hospital however the two children, ages three and 6, died from suspected food poisoning and the mother died shortly after. Turkish officials said the daddy’s treatment was “still ongoing” on Friday but he died on Monday after several days in intensive care.
“Within the Böcek family, where two of our youngsters and their mother were taken to the hospital after falling sick in Fatih, the daddy Servet Böcek has also lost his life despite all interventions,” Istanbul’s regional health chief Abdullah Emre Guner said on X.
Guner offered his condolences to the members of the family and said the investigation into the incident is “being conducted with utmost diligence.”
Istanbul prosecutors opened an investigation and picked up crucial samples from the places where the family is understood to have eaten. But now evidence has emerged that the family could have been exposed to pesticides within the Harbour Suites Old City Hotel room where they were staying, Turkish media reports.
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Over the weekend, two tourists staying at the identical hotel because the Böcek family were hospitalized after displaying symptoms of nausea and vomiting, in line with BirGun newspaper.
A 3rd person, who was staying in the identical room because the two tourists, was also admitted to the hospital for testing as a result of a low heart rate.
A substance was sprayed in a room on the bottom floor of the hotel to assist combat bed bug infestation, which could have reached other rooms through a toilet vent, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reports.
The hotel has since been sealed off after police inspected it as a part of the investigation and picked up samples from sheets, pillows, water bottles and blankets.
The preliminary forensic report for the Böcek family was released on Nov. 17 and stated that the family “could have been affected by chemical poisoning” on the hotel and that “the likelihood of their deaths because of this of food poisoning is low,” in line with the newspaper.
An in depth report is scheduled for release on Nov. 28.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said last week that 4 people were detained as a part of the investigation, including the stuffed mussels vendor who sold food to the Böcek family.
Along with the 4 food vendors arrested last week, the hotel owner, a baker, a restaurant owner, two pest control staff who did the pesticide application, and two hotel attendants have also been detained.
An identical situation took place in Sri Lanka in February when two tourists died after suffering an illness while on vacation. Each of the deceased stayed on the Miracle Colombo City Hostel within the centre of Colombo.
Ebony McIntosh, a 24-year-old British influencer, and Nadine Raguse, a 27-year-old German woman, became very sick and were reportedly rushed to the hospital to be treated for vomiting, nausea and respiratory difficulties on Feb. 1.
Inside hours of their arrival on the hospital, McIntosh and Raguse, who had the identical symptoms, each died.
Reports suggest that McIntosh and Raguse could have suffered a possible chemical poisoning, because the adjoining hostel room had been fumigated with phosphine, which is a deadly chemical used to kill bedbugs. The room had reportedly been sealed for 72 hours following the treatment on Jan. 30.
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