A Turkish-German family of four who died while on vacation in Istanbul He was likely poisoned by gas from a pesticide used to treat an insect infestation at his hotel, according to a preliminary autopsy report cited by Turkey’s state news agency.
The Bocek family had traveled from Germany and was staying in a hotel in the Fatih district of Istanbul. On November 12, they fell ill and took a taxi to a hospital for treatment before returning to the hotel. They got sick again The next day they were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
The children – Kadir Muhammet, 6, and Masal, 3 – died that day. Her mother Cigdem died on November 14th, while her father Servet died on November 17th.
A preliminary report submitted to the prosecutor’s office found that phosphine gas, an insecticide metabolite, was present on towels, masks and swab samples from various parts of the hotel room, Anadolu Agency reported late Tuesday.
The autopsy also confirmed that the family had not been poisoned by food, ruling out initial suspicion that they had consumed street food while walking around the city.
Two other tourists who stayed at the hotel suffered from nausea and vomiting and were hospitalized, Anadolu reported.
Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the case and closed the hotel.
The deaths heightened concerns about hotel safety standards and led to calls for stricter oversight.
Emrah Gurel/AP
Those arrested after the family’s death included the hotel owner and two employees, as well as several food vendors and pest controllers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogen said after a cabinet meeting last week that “our security forces and prosecutors will conduct the necessary investigations to determine the causes of these deaths,” while Istanbul’s regional health chief Abdullah Emre Güner said their investigation into the incident would be “carried out with the utmost care.”
“I extend my condolences to the deceased family members and condolences to the loved ones,” Guner wrote a post on X.
