The trial over the deaths of a German family of four who were poisoned at a hotel in Istanbul opened on Tuesday.

This happened five months after the incident that claimed the lives of both parents and their two young children.

The prosecutors have charged six defendants, including the hotel owner, a receptionist, and employees of a pest control company, with “conscious negligence causing death”.

Five of the suspects are currently being held in pre-trial detention.

According to the indictment, the accused face prison sentences ranging from two years and eight months to as much as 22 years and five months.

A sixth hotel employee, charged separately with negligent homicide, faces up to 15 years behind bars.

The family, from Hamburg, fell critically ill shortly after arriving in Istanbul in November last year and were hospitalised the same day.

The 27-year-old mother and the couple’s two children, aged three and five, died first.

The 38-year-old father succumbed to his condition several days later.

Initial reports suggested food poisoning, but subsequent forensic investigations pointed to toxic exposure.

Authorities detected phosphine gas in the family’s hotel room, believed to have originated from aluminium phosphide, a pesticide deemed unsuitable for indoor use such as bedbug treatment.

The indictment alleged that the pest control company involved was not properly authorised and failed to implement necessary safety precautions. It also referenced a prior complaint linked to a suspected poisoning incident involving the same firm.

Investigators believed that the toxic gas may have entered the room through a ventilation shaft.

Several other guests at the hotel in Istanbul’s Fatih district also required medical attention, prompting further scrutiny of the property.

All defendants have denied the charges.

A lawyer representing the victims’ family said he would pursue a sentence that would act as a deterrent, arguing the case should establish stronger accountability standards within the hotel and pest control industries.

(dpa/NAN)