German State Minister commits suicide over coronavirus outbreak economic fears
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ISLAMABAD - A minister of Germany’s Hesse state ended his life after apparently being upset over economic troubles surfaced due to novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The death of state’s finance minister Thomas Schaeer was confirmed by Hesse premier Volker Bouffier on Sunday, saying “Today we have to assume that he was deeply worried”.
The body of the 54-year-old minister was found near a railway track on Saturday. The Wiesbaden prosecution office believes he has committed suicide.
“We are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad,” the premier said in a statement.
Bouffier, who is a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, recalled deceased minister’s services, saying he had been making efforts to help companies and workers cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic.
“It’s precisely during this difficult time that we would have needed someone like him,” he added.
Schaefer, who was member of Merkel’s CDU party, had long been considered as a strong candidate to succeed Bouffier.
