Two Dutch teenagers were found dead in their İstanbul hotel room and their father was hospitalized, Turkish media reported Saturday, with initial suspicion focusing on a meal they had eaten earlier in the evening.
The boys, aged 15 and 17, were unresponsive when police and paramedics arrived at their hotel in the city’s Fatih district, near the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar, broadcaster NTV said.
“When they arrived, ambulance paramedics noted the two youngsters were deceased. The father was taken to a hospital by ambulance in a state of shock,” NTV reported.
The family had been vacationing in İstanbul and were believed to have gone to the touristy Taksim district for dinner, Turkish outlets said. The 57-year-old father reportedly told police that he accompanied his sons but did not eat.
Food poisoning is being examined as a possible cause pending autopsy results.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry said it is providing consular assistance.
İstanbul police have launched an investigation.