Archive · 20 Nov 2025
Turkish Family of Four Dies on Vacation, Pesticide Poisoning Suspected
A family from Germany went on vacation in Turkey.
They got very sick after eating street food and died one by one.
Now, it's thought that something at their hotel, not the food, might have made them sick.
Other people at the hotel also got sick, and many people are being investigated to find out what happened.
Four members of a Turkish-German family died after consuming street food in Istanbul
The family - a woman, her husband, and their two young children - fell ill and were hospitalized
The children and mother died within days, and the father died later after intensive care
Investigation points to pesticide poisoning at their hotel, not street food
Two more tourists fell ill at the same hotel, raising the number under investigation to 11
- Who
- The Bocek family: Cigdem, Servet, and their children Kadir (6) and Masal (3)
- What
- Fell ill and died while on vacation in Turkey
- When
- November 9-16, 2022
- Where
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Why
- Suspected pesticide poisoning at their hotel
Initial Suspicion
New Evidence
Cause of illness
Initial Suspicion
Street food poisoning
New Evidence
Pesticide exposure at hotel
- Age of children
- Kadir (6) and Masal (3)
- Date of illness onset
- November 12, 2022
- Number of people under investigation
- 11
- Hotel where incident occurred
- Harbour Suites Old City hotel
