Istanbul,Apri 21, (dpa/GNA) – Five months after a Hamburg family of four died of poisoning in their hotel room, the trial of six defendants opened on Tuesday in Istanbul, marked by relatives’ grief and mutual recriminations among the accused.
Ahead of the proceedings at Istanbul’s Çaglayan courthouse, the deceased father’s mother broke down, saying the family would never have stayed at the hotel had they known pesticides were being used.
The German family fell critically ill shortly after arriving in Istanbul in November last year and were hospitalized the same day. The mother, 27, and the children, aged 3 and 5, died, The 38-year-old father died days later.
Initial suspicions of food poisoning were later replaced by findings of toxic exposure.
Relatives of the deceased called for the maximum possible sentence.
Inside the courtroom, the six defendants, including the hotel owner, a receptionist and pest control staff, denied responsibility and shifted blame among themselves.
The hotel owner said he had hired a professional firm and instructed staff not to rent out treated rooms, arguing he was not responsible for verifying the company’s certifications.
Prosecutors have charged most of the suspects with “conscious negligence causing death,” which carries a maximum sentence of 22 years and five months. A sixth employee faces up to 15 years for negligent homicide.
Forensic reports cited by state news agency Anadolu said, phosphine gas was detected in the family’s hotel room, likely linked to aluminium phosphide, a pesticide not suitable for bedbug treatment.
The indictment also alleges the pest control company lacked proper authorization, and had been the subject of a prior poisoning complaint.
Authorities believe the gas may have entered the room through a ventilation shaft from a lower storey. Other guests at the same hotel also required medical treatment, bringing the property under scrutiny.
The case has sparked broader concern in Turkey over lax oversight and the unregulated use of industrial chemicals in the hospitality sector.
A lawyer for the family said he would seek the maximum sentences, to set a precedent for accountability.
All defendants deny the charges.
GNA