Two other tourists were hospitalized in Istanbul. It’s also about the symptoms of poisoning. They were said to have been guests at the same hotel as the Hamburg family. A room there was previously disinfected with chemicals.
In the case of unusual disease cases in Istanbul, there were more victims and more arrests. Following the deaths of a Hamburg mother and her two children in Istanbul, two other tourists were hospitalized with symptoms of poisoning, according to media reports.
They were staying at the same hotel in the Fatih district as the family from Hamburg, DHA and Anadolu news agencies reported. Police are investigating at the location. According to the daily newspaper “Cumhuriyet”, they were tourists from Italy and Morocco.
According to Anadolu, both of them complained of nausea and vomiting, but their lives were not in danger. A hotel owner told CNN Türk about possible cases of food poisoning, and said that the hotel does not have a restaurant – only drinking water.
According to Anadolu, investigators took drinking water samples at the location and evaluated surveillance cameras. It was also discovered that a room on the ground floor had been disinfected with chemicals.
According to Anadolu, police have now arrested three more suspects: one person in charge of the hotel and two people carrying out disinfection. This brings the total number of arrests to seven.
Four suspects were arrested on Friday. According to state broadcaster TRT, it is about sellers of sweets, shells and dishes made from veal intestines (kokorec). They were accused of negligent homicide, Anadolu reported. Therefore, all suspects had prior convictions for other crimes.
The father of the Hamburg family continues to be treated in the intensive care unit. The cause of death is still suspected to be food poisoning. However, laboratory results are still awaited, according to the Anadolu news agency. The initial autopsy report on the three Hamburg residents provided almost no meaningful information.
The three have now been buried in a town in Afyonkarahisar province in western Türkiye, Anadolu reported. Family relatives and local politicians took part in the funeral ceremony. This family has Turkish roots.
Eat shellfish at snacks
The father’s uncle told Anadolu at the funeral in Afyonkarahisar that he was deeply affected and called for those responsible to be held accountable: “Whoever did this must be punished,” he said. Authorities closed the shop where the family was said to be eating.
The father, mother, six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter traveled to Istanbul on Sunday. The family is said to have gone to Ortaköy district around lunchtime on Tuesday. The father of the family said this before his condition worsened, the “Sabah” newspaper reported.
There they ate stuffed clams from a street vendor, then soup and kokorec at another shop. On the way back to the hotel in the Fatih district, they bought lokum – a Turkish sweet – and water. Anadolu reported that the family also ate chicken.
On Wednesday, the family was initially taken to hospital with suspected food poisoning due to nausea and vomiting, the news agency reported. The parents were diagnosed and treated for diarrhea and gastroenteritis, the children were taken to another clinic for nausea and vomiting, but were later sent home.
When the children’s condition worsened, the entire family was taken to the hospital again that night. Not long afterward, both children died, followed by their mother.
Experts criticize inadequate controls
Istanbul Provincial Health Director told X that no unusual increase in cases of food poisoning has been detected so far. In Türkiye, restaurants and street vendors are inspected, but experts say the intensity of inspections is often insufficient, especially in areas frequented by tourists.
The media also repeatedly reported suspected food poisoning. In Kayseri, central Anatolia, 80 students and teachers were hospitalized in early November after eating sausages in bread at an event.
According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), food poisoning can occur when certain fungi or bacteria multiply in food and produce toxic substances (called toxins). Additionally, fish and shellfish can contain marine biotoxins (called algal toxins) that cause food poisoning.
dpa/lay/saha
