A family of four from Germany was on vacation in Turkey when the mother and two young children died suddenly from alleged food poisoning, with the news sparking national coverage in both Turkey and Germany. However, other potential theories behind their deaths are still being explored. Turkish authorities arrested eight suspects in the case.

The mother and two children died after consuming mussels, minced meat, baked goods, and potatoes from a variety of street vendors, with the father currently in a hospital’s intensive care unit.

The family, which has a Turkish migration background according to news reports, lives in Hamburg. They were on vacation in Istanbul when they ate food from a variety of locations, including sweets, mussels, and a dish made from calf intestines, known as kokoreo, according to state broadcaster TRT.

However, since then, an Italian and a Moroccan have also fallen ill, who were reportedly staying in the same hotel in Istanbul’s old town as the family from Germany. They only complained of nausea and vomiting, but were not seriously ill. The entire hotel was evacuated by police.

“During the investigations, investigators discovered that a room on the ground floor of the hotel had been disinfected with chemicals, and the other two newly arrested people carried out this disinfection. In Turkey, chemicals are often used to control vermin. Forensics also took samples of the drinking water to detect possible contamination,” reports German news outlet Merkur.

According to the German news outlet Merkur, “the late mother’s father also spoke out: He could never have imagined that the encounter with his daughter on Tuesday would be the last, he told the Anadolu news agency. The young family traveled to Turkey every summer and dreamed of settling there.”

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced the arrest of four individuals on X after the shocking news was published in Turkish media. Since then, four other individuals have also been arrested, including a baker located near the woman’s hotel. An individual in charge of the hotel, as well as two people who were on the cleaning staff, were also arrested, according to media reports.

The two young victims were only six and three, adding to the gravity of the tragedy. The family initially went to the hospital and were treated for suspected food poisoning and then released. However, the entire family was later taken back to the hospital after being released, where both children and the mother died.