Two children and their mother have died after eating street food at a popular Istanbul tourist site, Turkish officials said Friday.
The Böcek family, from Germany, reportedly became sick on Wednesday after eating popular street food dishes at local vendors in the neighbourhood of Ortakoy.
They were rushed to the hospital but the two children, ages three and six, died from suspected food poisoning, Istanbul’s regional health chief Abdullah Emre Guner said on X.
“The family’s children, aged 6 and 3, could not be saved despite all interventions. The mother and father’s treatments in intensive care continue. An investigation has been initiated by our Provincial Health Directorate regarding the incident,” Emre Guner added.
The mother died shortly after, according to Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, who shared the update to X on Friday.
“The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the incident in which a family of four staying at a hotel in Istanbul was taken to the hospital with suspicion of poisoning after falling ill, and in which 2 children and the mother passed away, while the father’s treatment is still ongoing, is being conducted meticulously,” Tunc wrote.
He said necessary samples have been collected from the places where the family is known to have eaten.
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“4 persons on duty and responsible at these places have been taken into custody,” Tunc added.
“The findings obtained by the crime scene investigation teams have been sent to the Council of Forensic Medicine, and examinations … are continuing to determine the definitive cause of death of the 2 deceased children and the mother.”
Tunc offered condolences to the family’s relatives and wishes for “a speedy recovery to the father whose treatment is ongoing.”
According to local reports, the family is thought to have eaten stuffed mussels, Turkish sausage and chicken tantuni, which is described as finely chopped chicken wrapped in a flatbread with vegetables. They also reportedly ate kokorec, which is a traditional dish made from grilled lamb or goat intestines.
Türkiye Daily confirmed that four people were detained as part of the investigation, reportedly including the stuffed mussels vendor.
The family of four travelled from Hamburg, Germany, to Istanbul on Nov. 9 for a vacation, according to CNN Türk.
Experts warn that some foods and beverages could hide harmful bacteria and parasites while on vacation, putting you at risk of foodborne illness.
Keith Warriner, a food safety professor at the University of Guelph, previously told Global News it’s important to be cautious when vacationing in a country where food and water standards may differ.
The World Health Organization echoes this warning, advising travellers who want to lower their risks of illness to avoid certain foods and drinks, consult a doctor before departure and carry oral rehydration salts along with any necessary medications.
Another big culprit to getting sick while on vacation is eating from a food vendor, Warriner said.
“Street vendors … the reality is they’ve got the food in a condition where it’s warm, so pathogens grow,” he said.
If you experience food poisoning, Health Canada states that the most common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, stomach pain and cramps. These symptoms can appear within hours of consuming contaminated food, or sometimes days or even weeks later.
— With files from Global News
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