A four-member family from Hamburg with Turkish roots suffered severe poisoning symptoms during their vacation in Istanbul. The mother and her two children died, while the father remains in intensive care. Authorities suspect food poisoning, with investigations proceeding in multiple directions.
The family from Hamburg arrived in Istanbul on November 9, 2025, and checked into the Harbour Suites Old City Hotel in the Fatih district. According to the mother's statements recorded before her death, the family ate various dishes outside the hotel in the following days: On arrival evening, kebab for adults and noodles for children. On November 10, soup and pastry in the morning, pide with minced meat, sucuk, and cheese pizza in the evening. On November 11, poğaça and simit for breakfast, mussels from a street vendor near the Ortaköy Mosque, soup in Dereboyu Street, sucuk and bread for the children, kokoreç and grilled chicken for the mother, plus Turkish sweets.
On November 12, the family woke up around 1 a.m. with nausea and went to Bezmialem Hospital in the morning. After improvement, they returned to the hotel without eating more. In the night to November 13, their condition worsened again; an ambulance took them to the hospital at 1 a.m., where the children and later the mother died. The father remains in intensive care. An autopsy revealed no clear cause of death.
Eight people were arrested, including hotel staff, food vendors, and a baker; they are to be presented to a duty judge on Monday. The suspects have prior convictions, and a shop was closed. The hotel was evacuated and sealed on Saturday evening after two more tourists from Italy and Morocco were hospitalized with poisoning symptoms—their conditions are stable. Samples of drinking water and items from the hotel are being examined; a disinfection with possible pesticides in the ground floor is under scrutiny. The hotel manager denies allegations: "We serve no breakfast and water only in bottles."
The deceased woman's father stated: "They planned to settle here. It was their dream." The family visited Turkey annually and had recently renovated an apartment in Bolvadin. The burial took place in Bolvadin; the family intends to follow the proceedings.