In the hotel room of the Hamburg resident who died in Istanbul Family According to a report, the poisonous gas phosphine has been discovered. The substance was found in tissue samples taken from the room, state news agency Anadolu reported, citing a forensic medicine report. Phosphine was also found in hotel towels. Final clarification regarding the cause of death is still pending.
Aluminum phosphide is often used to control pests. In combination with water – sufficient humidity – toxic phosphine gas is formed. The gas damages mammalian body cells and, in large concentrations, disrupts the transport of oxygen in the blood. In humans, phosphine can cause, among other things, dry cough, vomiting, liver and kidney dysfunction, and can be life-threatening if inhaled.
All four members of the Hamburg family died while on holiday in Istanbul in mid-November. According to preliminary forensic reports, pest control in the room below the family could have caused their deaths. This is still not certain. Food poisoning, initially thought to be the cause of death, was described as less likely. Test results at the family’s restaurant did not show any abnormalities, Anadolu said.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251125-930-340786/1
