Four German Tourists Die in T?rkiye
Forensic Institute: "Hotel Pest Control Chemicals May Be Involved"
Other Foreign Guests at Same Hotel Also Show Symptoms
Regarding the incident in T?rkiye in which four German tourists died, the Turkish National Forensic Medicine Institute has released an analysis indicating a high likelihood that chemical poisoning originating from the hotel environment was the cause.
According to IHA News Agency in T?rkiye on the 18th (local time), the Forensic Medicine Institute stated in its report, "Chemical poisoning arising from the accommodation environment is primarily suspected in the case of the mother and her two children, although the possibility of food poisoning cannot be completely ruled out."
Previously, a German couple and their two children entered Istanbul for tourism on the 9th and subsequently died after experiencing symptoms of food poisoning on the 13th.
According to the report, the family began to suffer from vomiting and abdominal pain at their hotel in Istanbul on the 13th and were transported to a hospital, where the two children died that day. The mother later passed away during treatment.
The family had eaten a variety of foods, including midye dolma (stuffed mussels), kokorec (Turkish-style grilled intestines), and lokum (traditional sweets) outside the hotel on the 10th and 11th. They began to show symptoms such as vomiting and nausea starting in the early morning of the 12th. After receiving initial treatment at the hospital, they returned to their accommodation, but their condition worsened again in the early morning of the 13th, leading to another hospital visit.
The report pointed out that pest control work was carried out on the 11th in room 101, which is directly below the family's room (room 201), and that room 201 did not have a ventilation system. It also noted that two other foreign nationals staying at the same hotel received hospital treatment for similar symptoms on the 15th.
The prosecution has sent the chemicals and packaging used in the hotel's pest control, as well as blood and stomach contents from the parents and blood samples from the two foreign nationals, to the Forensic Medicine Institute for detailed analysis.
The autopsy found no trauma that could have caused death in the two children, and aside from some bleeding and redness in the stomach lining, there were no significant findings. Similarly, the mother showed no notable abnormalities except for minor ulcers and bleeding in the stomach lining.
The Forensic Medicine Institute concluded that, considering the circumstances of the incident, initial symptoms, and the occurrence of additional patients, environmental factors within the hotel (chemical exposure) are the most likely cause. The institute stated that the final cause of death will be determined through further pathological and toxicological analysis.
The chemicals used for pest control at the hotel are currently being collected by the prosecution, and the analysis is being conducted by the Forensic Medicine Institute's chemical specialist department. The final report is scheduled to be submitted to the prosecution on the 28th of this month.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
