Istanbul, Nov 16, (dpa/GNA) – A baker has been detained, following the death of a German mother and her two children while on holiday in Istanbul, Turkish media reported on Sunday.
The baker worked in a shop near the hotel in the Fatih neighbourhood where the family was staying, the Cumhuriyet and Sabah newspapers said.
The arrest, which has not been confirmed by authorities, is the eighth in connection with the death of the three family members from Hamburg.
The deaths were initially believed to be caused by food poisoning, but their hotel is also under suspicion, having been evacuated on Saturday according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
Guests were transferred to other hotels on Saturday evening, the agency said. It was unclear how many people had to leave the hotel, but authorities removed all items for laboratory testing.
Forensic investigators had already taken samples of the drinking water. A room on the ground floor was also disinfected with chemicals, presumably pesticides, which are usually used to combat vermin, the agency reported.
Two people who carried out the disinfection and a hotel manager were arrested on Saturday.
Four vendors were also detained as the family fell sick after eating stuffed mussels from a street vendor, as well as soup and a dish made from calf intestines, known in Turkish as kokoreç, at another shop, according to the Sabah newspaper.
On Wednesday, the family was initially admitted to hospital with suspected food poisoning. The children were treated for nausea and vomiting, but were later discharged.
When the children’s condition deteriorated, the entire family was taken to hospital again during the night. Shortly afterwards, both children died, followed by their mother.
So far, authorities have assumed that food poisoning was the cause of deaths.
When asked by CNN Türk about possible food poisoning, one of the hotel owners said the hotel does not have a restaurant and only provides water.
The family’s father remains in intensive care, while two other tourists staying at the same hotel were admitted to hospital on Saturday.
The head of the Istanbul health directorate, Abdullah Emre Güner, wrote on X that the two tourists were in good condition and would continue to be monitored. Another holidaymaker who shared a room with them was examined for a slow heartbeat.
GNA