Poisoned in Turkey Is the fate of the German family in Istanbul not an isolated case?
The death of a Hamburg family in Istanbul seems to many to be a shocking isolated incident. But other incidents in the city also show parallels to the fate of the family.
22.11.2025, 16:09
dpa
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- Following the death of a German family on vacation in Istanbul, presumably from poisoning, more deaths are coming to light.
- A year ago, a German student died in Istanbul due to pesticide poisoning.
- Most recently, the case of 25 people who were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning after visiting a restaurant in Istanbul came to light.
The death of a Hamburg family in Istanbul still raises numerous questions - also with regard to other incidents involving tourists in the metropolis. Is it all pure coincidence or could the cases be connected? An overview:
Family from Hamburg dies on vacation
Father, mother and their two children arrive in Istanbul on November 9 and die between November 13 and 17. The initial suspicion of food poisoning as the cause of death was not confirmed. Her hotel in the Fatih district comes into focus after other guests from the same accommodation receive medical treatment. According to a preliminary forensic report published by the media, pest control in the room below the family could have caused their deaths. However, this has not yet been confirmed. Food poisoning was considered less likely to be the cause of death.
Mysterious death: entrepreneur from Germany
According to media reports, a businessman complained of sweating and shortness of breath in the hotel on the night of November 19, was taken to hospital and died there. According to the DHA news agency, he was traveling to Turkey from Germany. The reasons for his death are still completely unclear. His hotel was within walking distance of the Hamburg family's hotel. It is located in the historic center of the city, where hundreds of thousands of tourists stay every year. According to media reports, the owners say that there has been no pest control in the recent past.
Two Dutch siblings fall ill
Sisters who had traveled to Istanbul from the Netherlands were admitted to hospital from their hotel in Fatih on 19 November with suspected food poisoning due to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the state news agency Anadolu. One of them was discharged a short time later.
Dutch father and two sons - children die
According to Turkish media, two teenagers from the Netherlands were found dead in a hotel room in Istanbul in August. The two are said to have traveled to Turkey with their father. He was also treated in hospital but survived. Food poisoning was suspected to be the cause of the children's death. According to the broadcaster NTV, the sons had eaten in a restaurant in the busy Taksim district the evening before, but the father had not. The results of the investigation are not publicly known. According to the media, their hotel was also in the immediate vicinity of the Hamburg family's hotel.
Death of a German Erasmus student
The death of a German Erasmus student in November 2024 was also initially attributed to food poisoning. However, a forensic report published this August on the death of the 21-year-old concluded that she was presumably poisoned by pesticides against bedbugs, her lawyer told dpa. The agent used to combat bedbugs had been used on the second floor, had turned into gas and spread throughout the building, the report said. The student had lived on the second floor.
25 people in hospital after visiting a restaurant
Most recently, the case of 25 people who were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning after visiting a restaurant in Istanbul became known. They were "generally in good health" and received "the necessary medical examinations and treatment", wrote Abdullah Emre Güner, head of the responsible health authority in the Turkish metropolis, on the X platform. The victims are said to have ordered the traditional dish lahmacun - a flatbread topped with minced meat, vegetables and various spices - in a restaurant in Istanbul's Sisli district on Friday evening (November 21). According to CNN Türk, visitors complained of nausea and vomiting after eating. The local authorities sealed the restaurant, which according to CNN did not have an operating license.
14 students in hospital
Also on Friday, according to local media reports, 14 students in Istanbul's neighboring province of Kocaeli were hospitalized after eating a chicken dish. According to the newspaper "Habertürk", the pupils were also plagued by nausea and vomiting shortly after lunch in the school canteen. The pupils are now in good health, the authorities said on Saturday.
