Thomas Schaefer, the Finance Minister of Germany’s Hesse state, had committed suicide on Saturday evening as he was reportedly concern over the coronavirus pandemic, and how to deal with the economic fallout from the crisis, state premier Volker Bouffier said on Sunday, Agence France Presse reported.
Schaefer, 54, was found dead near a railway track on Saturday. The Wiesbaden prosecution’s office said they believe he died by committing suicide.
Bouffier said in a recorded statement: “We are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all, we are immensely sad.”
Germany has so far recorded 62,435 cases, with 541 deaths and 9,211 recovered from the deadly disease.
Europe remains the worst affected, as it surpasses China, the country where the virus first emerged in December 2019. In Europe, Italy has the highest number of cases at 92,472, Spain comes second with 72,248 cases, Germany comes third with now 62,435 cases.
The disease has also infected top officials of the United Kingdom, including Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince of Wales.
Meanwhile, the world tally stands at staggering 7,22,196, with 33,976 deaths and 1,51,766 recovered from the disease.