Family died of poisoning in Istanbul: defendant faces 22 years in prison

The tragic case caused a stir both in Turkey and internationally. In particular, the father of the deceased 38-year-old man is seeking public attention. On Tuesday, he traveled from Hamburg to Istanbul to attend the trial in the Çağlayan district. “This family no longer exists,” Yilmaz Böcek, who appears as a co-plaintiff, told the German broadcaster before the trial RTL.

At first, possible food poisoning was suspected – the family went to the hospital because of nausea and vomiting, but were sent away. She was admitted again on the same day. First the 27-year-old mother died, then the three- and five-year-old children. After several days in the intensive care unit, the 38-year-old father also succumbed to the poisoning. That same weekend, two tourists staying at the same hotel and an employee were also taken to hospital with nausea and vomiting. They survived.

Illegally used pesticide

The chemical is supposed to be in the hotel Aluminiumphosphid have been used which, according to the German Pest Control Association, is not used to combat Bed bugs is suitable. Combined with moisture, this created the deadly gas Phosphinthat the Cellular respiration blocked. About uThe gas is said to have gotten into the family’s room through tight spots on the heating pipes. Phosphine was also found in the hotel’s towels.

According to the plaintiffs, the company did not take the necessary permits or security precautions. The then Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç promised shortly after the family’s death in November: “Whoever is responsible for the death of this family will have to answer in court. In this industry in particular, you have to work particularly carefully. After all, valuable human lives are at stake.”

Six people are accused: the hotel owner, a hotel employee, the owner and employee of the pest control company, which has already had to pay a fine for the unauthorized use of poisons and which is also being investigated in connection with the death of a three-year-old boy in spring 2025. The charge is “negligent” or “conscious negligent homicide” – the latter can be with a Imprisonment sentence from up to 22.5 years be punished. The prosecution and family of the victims are demanding this for each death for each defendant. The relatives’ lawyer also wants to take the responsible doctors and nurses to court.

Hotel owner denied guilt

The Hotel owner According to media reports, he was moved by the death of the family Responsibility but from yourself. He did hire someone to combat a pest infestation in a room. However, it was not his duty to research whether the company he commissioned had valid certificates.

The hotel owner said he also instructed his employees not to check anyone into the treated room. He knew nothing about the nature and risks of the hotel’s ventilation shafts.

Also the boss of the Pest control companywho is accused together with his son and the employed employee, denies the allegations. The company was registered with the tax office as a cleaning company, but state authorities did not check this.

The employee who carried out the treatment stated that he was employed as a cleaner, without certificate. He was only protected with a dust mask. He denies using aluminum phosphite. If he had thought that the substances used were poisonous, he would not have used them, said the accused employee.

Not an isolated case

What is particularly serious is that this was not the first death in connection with a pesticide in Turkey. 2024 was one 21 year old studentalso from Hamburg, died while studying abroad in Istanbul. Her death was also initially explained as food poisoning. Only a forensic report suggested that the young woman could also have been poisoned by pesticides that had been used against bed bugs in the neighboring apartment. In August, two young Dutch men were found dead in a hotel; the cause of death was suspected to be food poisoning. According to the media, the hotel was in close proximity to the Hamburg family’s hotel.

It is unclear whether and when a verdict will be reached in the trial; he can about Months to even years last.

The Turkish media were noticeably cautious in their reporting on Tuesday. The case is not just for that Image the Bosphorus metropolis was devastating – Istanbul recorded an estimated number of losses last year 19.7 million internationale touristssix percent more than the year before. The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported in February of “record revenues and record visitor numbers” in Turkey “despite geopolitical challenges”.

Authorities in criticism

After the family’s death, it was announced that pesticide controls in hotels would be tightened. But the Turkish one Authorities will be again and again inadequate controls or corruption accused. Already at the devastating Quake by Gölcük In 1999, residential buildings and houses of cards collapsed; after the earthquake around the province Hatay In February 2023, in which 53,000 people died in Turkey alone, construction companies were accused of negligence and bungling. Authorities were criticized for tolerating construction defects, such as expanding a hotel without approval. A hotel owner and an architect were sentenced to heavy fines and prison sentences in a subsequent trial.

Also that one Hotelbrand in the Turkish ski resort Kartalkaya in January 2025, in which 78 people died, was attributed to inadequate safety precautions and incorrect construction methods. The hotel owner, his family, the municipality’s deputy mayor and others were sentenced to dozens of life sentences. These allegations also affect the President’s government Recep Tayyip Erdoganwhich particularly promotes the construction industry as an economic engine – which worked well for years, but, according to critics, at the expense of safety regulations. Approval procedures are accelerated, controls are often inadequate, protective measures are sometimes circumvented or not consistently enforced.

“I want the whole truth, what exactly happened and what they say in their defense,” said the deceased children’s grandfather, Yilmaz Böcek.