A mother and two children died while on vacation in Turkey. The father is still fighting for his life. Food poisoning is believed to have been fatal.
A family of four who traveled from Germany to the capital of Turkey to spend an annual vacation most likely got food poisoning.
Six years old Kadir Muhammet Böcek and three-year-old Masal Böcek they died a day after being admitted to the hospital, and their mother also died in intensive care on Thursday Çiğdem Böcek. Their father Servet Böcek he is still in the hospital and doctors are fighting for his life.
The mother noticed that the three-year-old Masal was lying motionless, and soon she also passed away
The family arrived in Istanbul on November 9. Two days later, they ate stuffed mussels, which they ordered from a street vendor in Ortaköy. After that, they also ate chicken in the restaurant tantuns and sucuk. The family, who went to the hospital the same day with complaints of nausea and vomiting, were discharged and returned to their hotel in Fatih.
The next day, the mother of three-year-old Masal noticed her child lying motionless in the hotel room and started crying. Medical teams were called, and the family was taken back to the hospital, it says in Turkish Euronews. Despite their efforts, the doctors were unable to save the children. The parents were kept in the hospital, where the mother died soon after.
Objects sealed
As part of the investigation, four people were detained, including the owner of the mussel shop, the rahatlokum shop and the tantuni restaurant where the family had dinner. The restaurant where the family dined was sealed off, and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality police conducted inspections and briefings on nearby baked potato shops. Samples were taken from hotel rooms, restaurants and street vendors, and security camera footage was also reviewed.
“As part of the investigation, samples were collected from the places where the family ate, and the four people responsible for those places were taken into custody. The findings obtained by the crime scene investigation teams were sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of death of the two deceased children and the mother,” said the Turkish Minister of Justice. Yılmaz Tunç.
A big concern
The investigation, conducted by the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, continues, and the exact cause of death of the children and mother will be determined by the autopsy reports. Food poisoning is considered the most likely scenario.
The incident raised concerns about food safety in one of Istanbul’s busiest tourist districts and refocused attention on the common risks associated with popular street food in Turkey.
(TIP/Source: Dnevnik.hr/Photo: Pixabay/Illustration)
