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Preliminary Report Points to Chemical Poisoning at Istanbul Hotel in Deaths of German Family

Prosecutors have shifted the inquiry to pest-control chemicals at the hotel pending a final forensic report.

Overview

  • Turkey’s forensic institute says a foodborne cause is unlikely and identifies a chemical exposure in the hotel as the leading hypothesis.
  • Investigators say a ground-floor room was treated for bedbugs shortly before the family fell ill and are probing whether fumes reached their room via ventilation.
  • Authorities have detained eleven suspects, including hotel and pest-control staff as well as food vendors, as the hotel was evacuated and sealed after two other guests became ill.
  • Media reports say aluminium phosphide is under examination as a possible pesticide involved, though officials have not confirmed the specific substance.
  • Istanbul’s governor ordered round-the-clock recording by businesses and stepped-up inspections of street vendors and pest-control firms as toxicology and environmental tests continue ahead of a final report expected on November 28.