ISTANBUL (AP) — Six hotel staff and pest control workers went on trial in Turkey on Tuesday, charged with causing the deaths of a family-of-four from Germany poisoned by insecticide while on vacation in Istanbul, media reported.
The Turkish-German Bocek family were staying at the Harbour Suites Old City hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district when they fell ill on Nov. 12, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
They took a taxi to a hospital complaining
of nausea and vomiting before returning to the hotel. The following day they were taken to hospital by ambulance, where 6-year-old Kadir Muhammet and his sister Masal, 3, died. Their mother, Cigdem, died on Nov. 14, while their father, Servet, died on Nov. 17.
The Boceks’ deaths raised concerns over hotel safety standards in Turkey and prompted calls for stricter oversight. In January last year, 78 people were killed when a fire swept through a ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey.
Medics were initially unable to reach the Bocek family because, disturbed by the smell from the insecticide-treated room, receptionist Muhammad Moeen had left and locked the hotel entrance door, according to an indictment presented to the Istanbul 30th High Criminal Court.
Images published at the time showed Servet Bocek carrying his daughter into the reception area before frantically trying to break the glass door.
The seven-minute delay before Moeen returned to open the door was cited in the indictment as a factor contributing to the family’s deaths, as were the lack of precautions while spraying and the absence of staff to respond to emergencies.
Although the case was initially treated as food poisoning, an inspection found traces of the insecticide phosphine gas on towels, masks and swab samples taken from the hotel. Phosphine is a highly toxic substance that can cause severe respiratory problems and organ damage.
The now-closed Harbour Suites is one of many low-cost hotels lying within walking distance of tourist attractions such as the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Prosecutors are seeking prison terms of between 2 years and 8 months to 22½ years for causing multiple deaths through negligence against hotel owner Hakan Oglak; the owners of DSS Pest Control, Zeki Kisi and Serkan Kisi; DSS worker Dogan Cagferoglu; and receptionist Moeen.
Another hotel worker, Rustemsha Batyrov, faces 2 to 15 years for the same offense.
Cagferoglu, who sprayed the ground floor room immediately below the Boceks’ room, was not certified to use hazardous chemicals, according to the indictment.
The company was also uncertified and used aluminum phosphide, a substance unsuited for residential spaces. The indictment also says it employed unauthorized staff and failed to take safety precautions.
Oglak is accused of approving the use of dangerous chemicals by unqualified personnel, failing to take safety measures during the spraying and failing to evacuate the hotel.
Three other tourists staying at the Harbour Suites at the time also suffered the effects of poisoning but recovered after treatment.
Meanwhile, it emerged Tuesday that two Dutch teenagers died from phosphine poisoning in another hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district a few months before the Boceks.
Jamil Yusuf Mohammed, 17, and his 15-year-old brother Yazdani were found dead in their room in the Grand Sami Hotel on Aug. 22 last year. Their father, Rashid, recovered after hospital treatment.
Five hotel staff and pest control workers have been charged and jailed pending trial, Demiroren News Agency reported.
