Istanbul– Six hotel workers and pest control workers were prosecuted in Türkiye on Tuesday, accused of Death of four members of the same family Man from Germany poisoned by pesticide while on holiday in Istanbul, media reported.
The Turkish-German Bocek family was staying at the Harbor Suites Old City hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district when they fell ill on November 12, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Before returning to the hotel, he took a taxi to the hospital due to nausea and vomiting. The next day they were taken by ambulance to the hospital, where 6-year-old Qadir Muhammad and his 3-year-old sister Masal died. His mother, Cigdem, died on 14 November, while his father, Servet, died on 17 November.
Bocek’s deaths raised concerns over hotel safety standards in Türkiye and calls for tighter monitoring. In January last year, 78 people died When a fire broke out at a ski resort hotel in northwestern Türkiye.
According to the indictment presented at the Istanbul 30th High Criminal Court, doctors were initially unable to reach the Bocek family because, disturbed by the smell of the pesticide-treated room, receptionist Muhammad Moin had left and locked the hotel entrance.
Images published at the time showed Servet Bocek carrying his daughter into the reception area and then trying to break the glass door.
A seven-minute delay in Moeen returning and opening the door was cited in the indictment as a contributing factor to the family’s death, as well as a lack of precautions during spraying and the absence of staff to respond to the emergency.
Although the case was initially treated as food poisoning, an inspection found traces of the pesticide phosphine gas on towels, masks and swab samples taken from the hotel. Phosphine is a highly toxic substance that can cause serious respiratory problems and organ damage.
The now-closed Harbor Suites is one of several low-cost hotels located within walking distance of tourist attractions such as the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Prosecutors are seeking prison terms ranging from 2 years to 8 months to 22 and a half years against hotel owner Hakan Ogluk for multiple deaths due to negligence; Zeki Kessi and Serkan Kessi, owners of DSS Pest Control; DSS activist Dogan Cagferoglu; And receptionist Moeen.
Another hotel employee, Rustamsha Batirov, faces 2 to 15 years in prison for the same crime.
According to the indictment, Cagferoglu, who sprayed the ground-floor room directly below Bocek’s room, was not certified to use hazardous chemicals.
The company was also uncertified and used aluminum phosphide, a material unsuitable for residential spaces. The indictment also says it employed unauthorized workers and failed to take safety precautions.
Oglek is accused of approving the use of hazardous chemicals by unqualified personnel, failing to take safety measures during the spraying, and failing to evacuate the hotel.
Three other tourists staying at the Harbor Suites at the time also suffered from the effects of the poison but recovered after treatment.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday it emerged that two Dutch teenagers had died of phosphine poisoning in another hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district just months before Bocek.
Jamil Yusuf Mohammed, 17, and his brother Yazdani, 15, were found dead in their room at the Grand Sami Hotel on August 22 last year. His father Rashid recovered after treatment in the hospital.
Five hotel employees and pest control staff have been charged and jailed pending trial, Demiroren news agency reports.
