In a tragic incident during their holiday in Istanbul, a family-of-four, including two young children, is believed to have died from pesticide poisoning used to eradicate bedbugs in their hotel room.
The family members, identified as Mum Cigdem Bocek, 27, Dad Servet, 38, and their children Masal, three, and Kadir Muhammet, six, were found dead after falling severely ill in their hotel bedroom. Initially suspected to be food poisoning from local street food, further investigation led to the arrest of 11 individuals, including hotel staff, on suspicion of using aluminium phosphide for bedbug treatment in a room located below the family’s accommodation. The toxic substance is known to cause death if inhaled in large quantities and one employee involved lacked proper certification.
Following the incident, the hotel was evacuated and sealed off for examination while authorities collected various samples for testing, including from the rooms of two other guests who also showed signs of poisoning. The Bocek family, visiting from Hamburg, Germany, arrived at the hotel in Istanbul on November 9, and fell ill after a day of sightseeing, with Cigdem and the children tragically passing away soon after, while Servet succumbed to the poisoning after six days in intensive care.
The family’s grandfather expressed his intention to seek justice for his daughter and her family, emphasizing the need for severe punishment for those responsible. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that investigations would be conducted to determine the circumstances leading to the tragic deaths.