Istanbul hotel evacuated after deaths of German mother, children

Following the death of a mother and her two children from Hamburg while on holiday in Turkey, their hotel in Istanbul has been evacuated, the Turkish state news agency Andalou has reported.

Guests were transferred to other hotels on Saturday evening, the agency said. It was unclear how many people had to leave the hotel.

Authorites removed all items from the hotel in the Fatih district for laboratory testing.

Forensic investigators had already taken samples of the drinking water. A room on the ground floor was also disinfected with chemicals - presumably pesticides, which are usually used to combat vermin, the agency reported.

Two people who carried out the disinfection and a hotel manager were arrested on Saturday.

Others remain hospitalized

The family's father remains in intensive care while two other tourists staying at the same hotel were admitted to hospital on Saturday.

The family fell sick after eating stuffed mussels from a street vendor and soup and a dish made from calf intestines, known in Turkish as kokoreç, at another shop, according to the Sabah newspaper. They also bought Turkish delight and water. Anadolu reported that the family also ate chicken.

On Wednesday, the family was initially admitted to hospital with suspected food poisoning, the news agency reported. The children were treated for nausea and vomiting, but were later discharged.

When the children's condition deteriorated, the entire family was taken to hospital again during the night. Shortly afterwards, both children died, followed by their mother.

So far, authorities have assumed that food poisoning was the cause of deaths.

When asked by CNN Türk about possible food poisoning, one of the hotel owners said the hotel does not have a restaurant and only provides water.