Two children and their mother have died after eating street food at a preferred Istanbul tourist site, Turkish officials said Friday.
The Böcek family, from Germany, reportedly became sick on Wednesday 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, Istanbul’s regional health chief Abdullah Emre Guner said on X.
“The family’s children, aged 6 and three, couldn’t be saved despite all interventions. The mother and father’s treatments in intensive care proceed. An investigation has been initiated by our Provincial Health Directorate regarding the incident,” Emre Guner added.
The mother died shortly after, in keeping with Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, who shared the update to X on Friday.
“The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the incident by which a family of 4 staying at a hotel in Istanbul was taken to the hospital with suspicion of poisoning after falling ailing, and by which 2 children and the mother passed away, while the daddy’s treatment continues to be ongoing, is being conducted meticulously,” Tunc wrote.
He said crucial samples have been collected from the places where the family is understood to have eaten.
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“4 individuals on duty and responsible at these places have been taken into custody,” Tunc added.
“The findings obtained by the crime scene investigation teams have been sent to the Council of Forensic Medicine, and examinations … are continuing to find out the definitive explanation for death of the two deceased children and the mother.”
Tunc offered condolences to the family’s relatives and desires for “a speedy recovery to the daddy whose treatment is ongoing.”
In keeping with local reports, the family is believed to have eaten stuffed mussels, Turkish sausage and chicken tantuni, which is described as finely chopped chicken wrapped in a flatbread with vegetables. In addition they reportedly ate kokorec, which is a conventional dish created from grilled lamb or goat intestines.
Türkiye Day by day confirmed that 4 people were detained as a part of the investigation, reportedly including the stuffed mussels vendor.
The family of 4 travelled from Hamburg, Germany, to Istanbul on Nov. 9 for a vacation, in keeping with CNN Türk.
Experts warn that some foods and beverages could hide harmful bacteria and parasites while on vacation, putting you susceptible to foodborne illness.
Keith Warriner, a food safety professor on the University of Guelph, previously told Global News it’s necessary to be cautious when vacationing in a rustic where food and water standards may differ.
The World Health Organization echoes this warning, advising travellers who wish to lower their risks of illness to avoid certain foods and drinks, seek the advice of a health care provider before departure and carry oral rehydration salts together with any crucial medications.
One other big offender to getting sick while on vacation is eating from a food vendor, Warriner said.
“Street vendors … the fact is that they’ve got the food in a condition where it’s warm, so pathogens grow,” he said.
If you happen to experience food poisoning, Health Canada states that probably the most common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, stomach pain and cramps. These symptoms can appear inside hours of consuming contaminated food, or sometimes days and even weeks later.
— With files from Global News
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