Four detained as fatal food poisoning hits Istanbul family

In Istanbul, two children and their mother have died, and the father remains in critical condition after the family fell ill from eating street food at a popular tourist area.

According to Turkish media, the family became unwell on November 12 after consuming several well-known street food dishes at a restaurant in the Ortaköy district, near the Bosphorus Bridge.

The family, residents of the Fatih district, were quickly taken to the hospital. 

Two children, aged six and three, died, Istanbul’s regional health director Abdullah Emre Güner reported on X on November 13.

The mother and father were admitted to intensive care, and an official investigation was launched. The mother later passed away, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç confirmed on X on November 14.

Authorities have collected samples from the locations where the family ate. 

“Samples were taken from the locations where the family is known to have eaten. Four people, who were on duty and responsible for food at the places where the mother and her two children—who later died in the hospital after suspected food poisoning in Fatih—ate, have been detained,” the minister wrote.

By Tamilla Hasanova