A family of tourists died after being poisoned by street food in Istanbul (4 photos)

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with the fatal poisoning of four tourists in Turkey. 27-year-old Cigdem Böcek, her 38-year-old husband Servet, and their children, three-year-old Masal and six-year-old Kadir, traveled from Hamburg, Germany, to Istanbul on November 9. Two days after arriving, they began to feel ill.





On the fateful day, the family left their hotel and went to Ortaköy, where they bought midye—a popular appetizer of stuffed mussels served cold with lemon—from a street vendor. The Böceks then had lunch at a restaurant, where they ordered kokoretsi (lamb intestines) and tavuk tantuni (chicken roll).

In Fatih, they bought Turkish sweets and returned to the hotel. The children began to feel nauseous and vomit and were rushed to the hospital. Their parents soon developed symptoms as well.



Serkan Tanahuverdi, a taxi driver, said: "The family ran out onto the road near Kadirga Park and asked me to take them to the hospital. The girl kept vomiting along the way. The mother was unconscious and had her head pressed against the right rear window."

Masal, Kadir, and their mother, Sigdem, later died at the hospital. Servet was transferred to Cemil Taşçioğlu Hospital, where he spent six days in intensive care.

On Monday, the head of the Istanbul Health Directorate, Abdullah Emre Güner, announced his father's death.

Detectives initially suspected food poisoning, but later found evidence that the family may have been poisoned by pesticides at the hotel.

Police and prosecutors believe that a substance used to kill bedbugs on the hotel's first floor may have entered the family's room through a bathroom ventilation shaft and poisoned them.

The substance in question is aluminum phosphide, a toxic chemical used as a pesticide in agriculture and households. Inhaling large amounts can be fatal.





Police continued to collect samples for testing after sealing the hotel. It is still unclear whether the family's death was caused by mussels, the restaurant food, or pest control chemicals.

Among those detained were five food vendors, the hotel owner and two employees, and three pest control company workers.

Samples were taken from the places where the family ate for analysis.

The bodies of the mother and children were sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine to determine the exact cause of death.



Mustafa Celik, the children's grandfather, said his daughter and her family were planning to visit him after a vacation in Istanbul. He is demanding a thorough investigation.

According to the newspaper BirGün, two other hotel guests were hospitalized on Saturday with nausea and vomiting.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated: "A comprehensive investigation is currently underway. We will determine the cause of death."