Istanbul authorities have evacuated the hotel where a Turkish-German family was staying after suspected poisoning claimed the lives of the mother and two children, with the investigation now centered on pesticide exposure inside the building.
The family became ill on Nov. 12 after eating mussels and other street foods in Ortaköy, a popular waterfront district. The two children — aged 6 and 3 — died the following day. The mother died on Nov. 14, while the father is intubated and remains in critical condition.
The family was Turkish, but living in Germany. They had come to Istanbul on holiday.
All guests at the hotel where the family was staying were relocated to other hotels after two unrelated tourists were hospitalized with nausea and vomiting, local media reported.
While early attention centered on the foods consumed in Ortaköy, the investigation widened after police discovered that the hotel had recently been treated with pesticides.
Teams inspected the property, collecting samples from bedding, linens and bottled water, while emergency crews checked for chemical or gas exposure.
Police have detained seven suspects in connection with the case, including the hotel owner and members of the pest-control company that carried out the spraying.
A biologist, Emel Öykü Kanbuk Kayıkçı, told daily Hürriyet that the symptoms seen in the case could be consistent with improper pesticide use, particularly in budget hotels that rely on uncertified pest-control companies.
"These companies sometimes use agricultural chemicals that are banned for indoor use. If bedbug treatments were carried out using such substances, they can cause poisoning through both respiration and skin contact.”
Meanwhile, a hotel’s representative told reporters the establishment carries out regular pest control and serves only sealed bottled water.
“We are confident about our hotel,” he said. “Routine pest control is carried out , but we do not offer anything else to guests.”
He also claimed that one of the newly hospitalized tourists had reported an existing stomach issue prior to checking in.
