Featured Image Credit: atv Haber
Topics: World News, Health, Travel
Britt Jones
A family from Germany have died in a suspected bedbug spray poisoning, police have said.
The Bocek family were staying at a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 9, when they passed away just days into the vacation.
Parents Cigdem Bocek and Servet, her children Masal, 3, and Kadir Muhammet, 6, were initially suspected to have died as a result of food poisoning.
However, authorities now suspect that the family may have died in a botched attempt at killing insects via bug spray in the hotel room.
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According to local reports, the family arrived at the hotel on November 9 and, over the next few days, went out to eat at various restaurants and food stalls.
They were taken to the local emergency department with complaints of nausea, vomiting and dizziness on November 11.
When they arrived back at their hotel hours later, their conditions had deteriorated, with the two children and Cigdem later being pronounced dead.
Servet was transferred to Cemil Taskcioglu Hospital, where he was placed in intensive care for approximately six days before Istanbul health chief Abdullah Emre Guner announced his death on November 17.
Aluminium phosphide, a toxic substance that is often used in agriculture and homes, can cause death if inhaled in huge amounts, and officials speculate that the substance may have reached the family’s room through the bathroom ventilation, poisoning them.
Police initially arrested four street vendors on suspicion of causing death through negligence; however, the investigation has expanded to 11 people, including hotel staff, as prosecutors examine whether the pesticide used in the hotel may have released a toxic gas into their room.
Investigators also discovered that a person who had worked at the pest control company the hotel had hired reportedly lacked official certification for their role.
Other reports claim that two other tourists who'd stayed at the hotel were also taken to the hospital for treatments related to alleged poisoning, with their belongings supposedly being apprehended by police for analysis.
The hotel was later evacuated and sealed as police collected samples from the building for examination.
The family's bodies were handed over to forensic experts to determine the cause of death, as toxicology tests on the samples from both the victims and the hotel are still underway.
Cigdem's father, Mustafa Celik, said the family had planned to visit them after their vacation to Istanbul. He has since vowed to file complaints against whoever was responsible for their deaths, and he wishes only the heaviest possible sentences on those found responsible for his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren's deaths.
The investigation is still ongoing.