As a forensic report shows, the toxic gas phosphine was found in the hotel room in Istanbul, where a family of four from Hamburg died. The substance was found in samples from the room, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing forensic doctors. Phosphine was also found in hotel towels, but the final clarity on the cause of death is not yet a fact.
In the fight against harmful insects, such as bedbugs, aluminum phosphide is often used, which when combined with liquids - and the humidity of the air is sufficient for this purpose - releases the poisonous gas phosphine. It damages mammalian cells and, in higher concentrations, prevents the transport of oxygen in the blood. In humans, phosphine can cause coughing, vomiting, liver and kidney problems, and can be life-threatening if inhaled.
Autopsy report confirms suspicions
In addition, many Turkish media outlets are writing that the autopsy report also confirms the assumptions that the family's death was due to phosphine poisoning. No traces of poison were found in the victims' blood, in their stomachs, or in the food they consumed.
After the mother and two children of the family died in Istanbul the week before last, the father also died last week. Initially, investigators assumed that the cause of death was food poisoning.
11 suspects detained
So far, the police have detained 11 suspects, including hotel employees and employees of a pest control company. The hotel where the family was staying became the subject of an investigation after two other guests fell ill and had to be treated.
German public broadcaster NDR reported that Lüneburg student Marlene P., who had gone to study in Turkey for a year, also died in Istanbul from poisoning - after pesticides were used in the apartment below hers.