By Euronews
Published on
•Updated
A Turkish-German family of four who died while on holiday in Istanbul were likely killed by gas from a pesticide used to treat a bug infestation in their hotel, according to a preliminary autopsy report.
The Böcek family had arrived from Germany and were staying at a hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district.
They sought hospital treatment on 12 November after developing vomiting and nausea. The family was discharged after receiving intravenous fluids and returned to their hotel.
The following day, they became sick again, which is when their condition was treated as an emergency.
The children — Kadir Muhammet, 6, and Masal, 3 — died that day. Their mother, Çiğdem, died on 14 November, while their father, Servet, died on 17 November.
Istanbul Provincial Health Director Abdullah Emre Güner said on social media platform X that an investigation had been launched into the incident after the deaths of the two children.
A preliminary report submitted to the prosecutor’s office found there was phosphine gas, an insecticide metabolite, on towels, masks and swab samples taken from various parts of the hotel room, Anadolu Agency reported late Tuesday.
The autopsy also confirmed the family had not been poisoned by food, ruling out initial suspicions of street food consumed during their tour of the city.
Two other tourists staying at the hotel suffered nausea and vomiting and were hospitalised, Anadolu reported.
Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the case and the hotel has been closed.
