Four German-Turkish family members died in Istanbul from suspected poisoning, with 11 people detained as investigation examines hotel pesticides and street food.
ISTANBUL: Eleven people have been detained in connection with the deaths of four German-Turkish tourists from suspected poisoning.
The family fell ill last Wednesday after eating street food in Istanbul’s Ortakoy neighbourhood during their holiday from Germany.
They were hospitalised but the two children died on Thursday, followed by their mother on Friday and father on Monday after intensive care.
Istanbul prosecutors initially investigated possible food poisoning from popular street dishes consumed near the Bosphorus bridge.
Turkish media now report evidence suggests pesticide exposure in their Fatih neighbourhood hotel might be responsible.
Investigators told Hurriyet newspaper that a substance sprayed for bed bugs in a ground-floor room may have reached the family’s first-floor room through a bathroom vent.
The hotel was evacuated on Saturday after two more guests were hospitalised with similar symptoms.
Municipal officials sealed off the unnamed hotel near Istanbul’s historic peninsula on Sunday.
Those detained include five food sellers, the hotel owner, two staff members, and three pest control company employees.
Eight detainees were scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday.
Forensic experts were expected to release a toxicology report later Monday alongside agriculture ministry analysis of food samples.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated security forces and prosecutors would thoroughly investigate the deaths following a cabinet meeting.
The mother and children were buried Saturday in their family village in Bolvadin, approximately 240 kilometres southwest of Ankara. – AFP
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