A trial began on Tuesday concerning the deaths of four members of a family from Germany who were exposed to a toxic gas used for pest control while on holiday in İstanbul in November.
An autopsy report submitted to prosecutors found a “strong presence of phosphine gas,” suggesting that the Böcek family died after being exposed to the toxic insecticide as a result of a pest control treatment used by the hotel they were staying in.
Six suspects are on trial, five of whom are in detention, including two officials from the pest control company. Family members of the victims attended the hearing at the court in İstanbul.
The prosecution is seeking prison sentences of up to 22 years, six months for five suspects on charges of “causing the death of multiple persons through gross negligence,” the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
According to the indictment, the sixth suspect is accused of simple “negligence” and faces up to 15 years in prison.
After falling ill on November 12, the family’s four members died within days of each other, with the two children, aged three and six, the first to pass away, followed by the mother and finally the father.
Investigators originally pointed to food poisoning as the family had visited the tourist neighborhood of Ortaköy for street food before their deaths.
But that suspicion was quickly dismissed after Turkish media reported that the hotel they were staying in was dealing with a bedbug infestation, with the insecticide gas believed to have seeped into their room through a bathroom ventilation duct.
© Agence France-Presse