A couple and their two young children have tragically died from suspected food poisoning after sampling street food on holiday in Turkey.
The family of four fell violently ill at their hotel in Istanbul on November 11, just two days after travelling from Hamburg, Germany.
Last Tuesday, the family set out for the Besiktas district in the north-east of the city, where they tried the popular street snack midye – a dish of stuffed mussels served with lemon.
They later ordered a mix of dishes at a local restaurant, including kokorec, made from calf intestines, and tavuk tantuni, a type of chicken wrap.
The family then treated themselves to Turkish delights from a shop in the Fatih area before returning to their hotel.
But soon after, the children – Masal, three, and Kadir, six – began suffering from extreme nausea and vomiting.
Mother Cigdem Bocek, 27, and father Servet, 38, rushed them to hospital before being hit with the same symptoms.
The family all complained of nausea, vomiting and dizziness and following treatment at two different medical facilities, the parents and children were discharged, according to Bild.
They returned to their hotel, but just hours later, their condition deteriorated dramatically and the mother and two children died on Wednesday.
Servet was left fighting for his life in hospital but also passed away on Monday.
Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a probe and detained seven people, including the street vendors.
Investigators are examining whether the mussels or food at the restaurant was the trigger, or whether chemicals used by a pest control service at the hotel led to the deaths.
The Forensic Medicine Institute is now analysing samples from the food stalls and restaurants.
The bodies of the family have also been sent to the institute for post-mortem examinations to determine the exact cause of death.
The grandfather of the children has demanded answers and questioned whether others have fallen ill.
Another two tourists staying at the same hotel as the family were hospitalised on Saturday after displaying symptoms of nausea and vomiting, according to BirGun newspaper.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday: ‘The investigation is currently being carried out comprehensively. It will be revealed what caused the deaths.’
The ordeal echoes a string of recent holiday tragedies linked to food poisoning around Europe.
Two Italians died within a week of each other after eating a toxic broccoli and sausage sandwich in August.
Over a dozen people were hospitalised after consuming the poisoned meals from a food trucks near the town of Diamante in Calabria.
They were all showing signs of botulism – linked to the popular vegetable.
Botulism is a rare condition which can often be life-threatening and is caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
It can attack the nervous system, leading to breathing issues, muscle paralysis, and, in about 10 per cent of cases, can be deadly.
The most common way to get botulism is by eating food contaminated with the toxin, usually due to improper processing.
