A German family of four vacationing in Istanbul died within five days of checking into a hotel, prompting Turkish authorities to arrest 11 people and investigate whether the family was poisoned by a toxic chemical. The parents, identified as Servet Bocek, 36, and Cigdem Bocek, 27, along with their children, Kadir, 6, and Masal, 3, had checked into the Harbour Suites Old City hotel on Nov. 9, per the New York Times. The family, who lived in Hamburg but regularly visited Turkey, began experiencing symptoms of nausea and vomiting three days later.
The two children died on Nov. 13, after local media said they were afflicted with vomiting and high fever, reports People. Their deaths were followed by their mother's the next day and their father's on Monday, after he'd spent multiple days in intensive care, per CBS News. The investigation initially focused on possible food poisoning, as the family likely sampled a number of local dishes. But investigators have now shifted their focus to the possibility of poisoning by aluminum phosphide, a toxic chemical sometimes used in pest control, per the Times. Traces of the chemical were reportedly found in the family's hotel room.
The day before the family arrived, pesticides were applied in the room below theirs, according to the country's forensic medicine institute. Those arrested include the hotel owner, a pair of hotel workers, a pesticide employee, and local food vendors. Four have been ordered held in jail, while the others remain detained as prosecutors weigh charges. An initial autopsy found hemorrhaging in the victims' stomachs and concluded chemical poisoning from the hotel environment was more likely than food poisoning. Three other hotel guests also fell ill but didn't suffer life-threatening symptoms.
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