Three German Tourists Die After Eating Street Food in Turkey

Mother and Two Children, Ages 6 and 3, Die
Father in Intensive Care Unit

Three German tourists, a family visiting Istanbul, Turkey, died after eating street food.

According to dpa and other sources on November 15 (local time), a German couple and their two children, who had traveled from Hamburg to Istanbul on November 9, were hospitalized on November 11 with suspected symptoms of food poisoning, including nausea and vomiting. Among the family members, the mother, a 6-year-old son, and a 3-year-old daughter died while receiving treatment at the hospital, while the father is being treated in the intensive care unit.

Istanbul, Turkey. Pixabay

Before being hospitalized, the family had eaten kokorec (Turkish-style grilled intestines), midye dolma (stuffed mussels with rice), kumpir (potato dish), lokum (traditional sweets), soup, and chicken dishes in the Ortakoy area. The family is of Turkish immigrant descent and was staying at a hotel in the Fatih district of Istanbul.

Two More Hospitalized at Same Hotel... Investigation Expands to Hotel

On the same day, the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet reported that tourists from Italy and Morocco, who were staying at the same hotel as the German family, also showed similar symptoms and were hospitalized. The two exhibited nausea and vomiting but were reported to be in stable condition.

After additional victims emerged, Turkish authorities arrested several street vendors and hotel staff. Local police detained a total of seven people, including four vendors who sold food to the German family and three hotel staff members, on charges including involuntary manslaughter.

While police are currently suspecting food poisoning, Istanbul authorities stated that there has not been an increase in food poisoning cases compared to usual. Police have also expanded the investigation to the hotel where additional victims were reported. The hotel stated, "There is no restaurant inside the hotel, and only water is provided." However, police discovered that some rooms on the first floor of the hotel had been disinfected with chemicals, raising the possibility of chemical poisoning. In 2018, a British couple died at a hotel in Hurghada, Egypt, after being exposed to fumigant bedbug pesticide sprayed in a neighboring room.

Police have sent food and water samples to the forensic committee and are analyzing footage from the hotel's surveillance cameras.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.