After the death of his son, wife and children in Istanbul, Yilmaz Böcek demanded clarification. These citizens of Hamburg will not rest until those responsible are brought to justice. “The pain was excruciating, but I had to be strong,” he said in an interview.
The fate of the Hamburg family who died in Istanbul touched and shocked many people. Now the late man’s father has spoken out with touching words in an interview. Yilmaz Böcek called for a thorough investigation into the deaths of his son, daughter-in-law and two children. He will fight as long as he can, “whether my life is enough or not,” Yilmaz Böcek told dpa.
The father, mother, five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter traveled to Istanbul on November 9 and were first hospitalized on November 12 with suspected food poisoning. All four died. Authorities now suspect chemical poisoning at the family’s hotel. According to state news agency Anadolu, a room there was cleared of pests on November 11.
His grandson would have celebrated his birthday today and would have been six years old, explained Böcek from Hamburg, which is still in Afyonkarahisar province, where the family is buried. Turkish media previously reported that the boy was six years old.
Böcek, 58, explained that he flew from Hamburg to Türkiye on November 13. The family is already fighting for their lives. Her two grandchildren died on the same day, and her daughter-in-law died a day later. Her son was in a coma, she said.
Eight suspects were arrested
At some point, doctors told him that his son’s organs had failed and there was nothing more they could do for him. Her son “melted before my eyes like a lit candle. It was the saddest thing.” His son died on November 17.
Eight suspects have now been arrested, including a food vendor and a pest controller who is said to have worked at the hotel. According to Anadolu, in his statement he stated that he did not have special certification to apply these chemicals. A colleague told him that you don’t need it.
Surveillance images distributed by Turkish media also caused outrage in Türkiye. You can see how the family is locked up in the hotel at night while an emergency ambulance waits for them outside the door. The footage shows a man trying to open a locked lobby door while holding one of his children. He also tried to break down the door. Anadolu reported that the receptionist locked the building to go eat.
He wants to see those responsible behind bars, even if that doesn’t ease his pain, Böcek told dpa. They will be released someday, but the family will be gone forever. To protect herself, she refrains from consuming any media because news about her family is everywhere. “The pain was excruciating, but as a family man, I had to stand up and be strong, no matter what.”
no/juve
