Germany’s foreign ministry said it is closely monitoring an investigation into the death of four members of a Turkish-German family who fell ill at an İstanbul hotel, as Turkish authorities announced that the number of people arrested in the case has risen to 10, Deutsche Welle Turkish edition reported.
The investigation concerns the death of Servet and Çiğdem Böcek and their children, Kadir Muhammet, 6, and Masal, 3, who fell ill with severe nausea and vomiting during their stay in İstanbul earlier this month. The family, who had arrived from Hamburg on November 9, sought medical help on November 12. The two children died later that day; the mother died on November 14. The father, who had been in intensive care for nearly a week, died on November 17.
In a statement to DW, the ministry said the German Consulate General in İstanbul is in close contact with the family’s relatives as well as Turkish officials. It declined to share further information about the victims’ relatives, citing privacy concerns.
“We are following the investigation to determine the cause of death,” the ministry said. Asked whether the incident had prompted a change in Germany’s travel advice for Turkey, it said travel and security guidance is “continuously reviewed and updated when necessary.”
German officials also said the consul general in İstanbul is holding “active discussions” with Turkish authorities to ensure the case is clarified “quickly and comprehensively,” adding that the consulate remains engaged with officials at various levels as the probe deepens.
The Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) said earlier this week that preliminary findings indicate the family most likely died from exposure to toxic chemicals inside the hotel.
Suspicions of possible food poisoning, since the family had eaten several popular street food dishes in the waterside neighborhood of Ortaköy on November 11 and sought medical help the following day, shifted to the hotel after prosecutors confirmed that pest control chemicals had been sprayed inside the building on the evening of November 11.
Two tourists staying at the same hotel were also hospitalized with similar symptoms, prompting authorities to evacuate and seal the property.
Health and agriculture officials collected samples from the building, and early findings suggest the pesticide treatment may have involved agricultural chemicals harmful to humans.
Investigators determined that Room 202 had been treated by a company identified as DSS, which authorities say was operating without a license. In a report sent to prosecutors, the İstanbul Provincial Health Directorate said DSS was providing pest control services illegally.
Prosecutors said three people responsible for applying the chemicals — identified as D.C., S.K. and Z.K. — acted negligently. They also said the hotel owner failed to meet safety obligations by hiring an uncertified company.
Number of arrests climbs
An İstanbul court on Friday ordered the arrest of the owner of the Fatih district hotel where the family stayed and a hotel employee, after a prosecutor objected to a previous court decision that had released them under house arrest with a travel ban. Both suspects were detained again and later jailed, bringing the number of people arrested in the case to 10.
The deaths of the German-Turkish Böcek family have received extensive coverage in Germany, fueling debate about holiday safety in Turkey and prompting heightened diplomatic scrutiny.
The ATK said the definitive cause of death will be determined after toxicological, pathological and microbiological analyses of samples collected during autopsies, a process expected to take several weeks.
The hotel remains sealed as the investigation continues.