Family-of-four who died while on holiday in Turkey 'most likely' poisoned with pesticide for bedbugs
The family, with two children aged three and six, became ill after a day out tasting street food samples from local stalls.
A family-of-four initially feared to have died from food poisoning while on holiday in Turkey were 'most likely' killed by a powerful pesticide used to remove bed bugs in their hotel, detectives say.
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Cigdem Bocek, 27, Servet, 38, and their children Masal, three, and Kadir Muhammet, six, had spent a day out trying street food from local venders in Istanbul two days before the group started feeling unwell.
They were taken to hospital after experiencing nausea, vomiting and dizziness two days the street food outing. Dad Cigdem and the two children died just hours later, while the mother, Servet, died following a six-day stint in intensive care.
Police initially detained at least seven people, including food stall vendors and restaurants the family visited as samples of the food were analysed by the Forensic Medicine Institute as police suspected they died by food poisoning.
But a probe has now revealed that a powerful pesticide used to rid hotel rooms of bedbugs at the Harbour Suites Old City Hotel, where they were staying, could have been the cause of their deaths.
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Police have now made at least 11 arrests in total, including staff at the Harbour Suites Old City Hotel, over the alleged use of aluminium phosphide.
This is a powerful toxic substance that was reportedly used to eliminate the bugs.
It was allegedly used on the ground floor of the hotel and travelled into family’s bathroom through a ventilation shaft.
At least one employee of the pest control business whose products were used in the hotel did not have required certification, investigators discovered.
The hotel has been evacuated and sealed off as detectives collect samples from the building from bedsheets, pillows, water bottles and blankets as part of their investigation.
Two other guests staying at the same hotel, a Moroccan and an Italian tourist, were also taken to hospital with suspected poisoning.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "Our security forces and prosecutors will lead the necessary investigations to determine the causes of these deaths."