The fear of an economic breakdown amid the coronavirus outbreak has caused the death of a minister in Germany’s Hesse state.
Mr Thomas Schaefer, 54, who presently serves as the finance minister of Germany’s Hesse state, was found dead near a railway track on Saturday. The Wiesbaden prosecution’s office said they believe he died by suicide after being “deeply worried” over how to cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus.
State Premier, Volker Bouffier who confirmed his death on Sunday said, “We are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad.”
“Today we have to assume that he was deeply worried,” said Bouffier, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Hesse is home to Germany’s financial capital Frankfurt, where major lenders like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have their headquarters. The European Central Bank is also located in Frankfurt.
Mr Bouffier recalled that Schaefer, who was Hesse’s finance chief for 10 years, had been working “day and night” to help companies and workers deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.
He leaves behind a wife and two children.
