Four hospitalized after suspected poisoning on ship off Istanbul coast

Four people were taken to the hospital with suspected poisoning from a ship located nine nautical miles off the coast of Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district. The vessel, identified as the Valianta and flying the Marshall Islands flag, requested assistance on Wednesday afternoon.

Istanbul's Governorship released a statement confirming the incident. "At approximately 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, assistance was requested from the Marshall Islands-flagged ship Valianta, located nine nautical miles off the Zeytinburnu district, due to suspected poisoning," the statement read.

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At approximately 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, assistance was requested from the Marshall Islands-flagged ship Valianta, located nine nautical miles off the Zeytinburnu district, due to suspected poisoning.

Emergency response teams, including health personnel, AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), KRBN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear), and UMKE (National Medical Rescue Team), were dispatched to the scene. The affected individuals were brought ashore by a Coast Guard boat to Ataköy, where they were handed over to medical teams.

The statement specified that three of the individuals were citizens of the People's Republic of China, and one was a national of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. All four were hospitalized for treatment. Fortunately, their conditions are not life-threatening, according to officials.

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The affected individuals are not in life-threatening condition.