Family of Four Dies After Being Exposed to Pesticides During Vacation

According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, a family of four died from suspected poisoning while on vacation in Istanbul.

The Bocek family, consisting of a mother, her husband, and two children, became ill and were hospitalized in Fatih while visiting from Germany in Turkey’s largest city.

They reportedly fell ill after consuming several popular street foods in the Ortakoy neighborhood.

The family arrived in Istanbul on November 9 and reportedly enjoyed several popular street foods, including “Kumpir,” a baked potato topped with various ingredients, and mussels with rice.

Additional reports indicated that they also ate “kokorec,” a well-known dish made of grilled lamb entrails.

Despite receiving medical treatment, the two children – 3-year-old Masal and 6-year-old Kadir – died on Thursday, with their mother, Cigdem Bocek, passing away a day later.

The father, Servet Bocek, died on Monday after several days in intensive care.

Istanbul prosecutors have initiated an investigation, initially suspecting food poisoning.

However, new evidence indicates that the family might have been exposed to pesticides at the hotel where they stayed, according to Turkish media.

Local reports suggest that a chemical substance was sprayed in a room on the ground floor of the hotel to treat a bed bug infestation, and the substance may have traveled to the family’s room on the first floor through a bathroom vent.

Authorities have collected samples from pillows, sheets, blankets, and water bottles and have sealed the building.

The hotel in which they stayed is situated in the Fatih neighborhood near Istanbul’s historic peninsula. It was evacuated on Saturday after two additional guests fell ill with similar symptoms and were hospitalized.

Among those detained are the hotel’s owner, two staff members, five food vendors, and three pest control employees.

Eight individuals are scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday.

Forensic experts are expected to release a toxicology report later this week, along with findings from the investigation of the food samples.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated after a meeting that security forces and prosecutors will lead the investigations to determine the cause of the deaths.

Following a funeral ceremony on Saturday, the mother and her two children were laid to rest in their family village in the Bolvadin area of central Turkey, approximately 150 miles from Ankara.

Abdullah Emre Guner, the regional health chief of Istanbul, shared his condolences on X, expressing sympathy to the families of those who passed away and offering his sympathies to their loved ones.

He emphasized that the investigation is being conducted “with the utmost diligence”.