The Finance Minister of Hesse State in Germany, Thomas Schaefer, has committed suicide, leaving behind a wife and two children.
According to the Premier of the state, Volker Bouffier, the minister was “deeply worried” and appeared to have committed suicide following fears over how to help companies and individuals cope with the economic impact of coronavirus.
He said the incident occurred on Saturday near a railway track.
The 54-year-old Schaefer had been the finance minister for 10 years.
Bouffier said the incident came as a “shock” to the state.
“We are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad,” AFP quoted him as saying.
Hesse state is home to the city of Frankfurt, regarded as Germany’s financial capital, home to some of the largest banks in the country including Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank. The European Central Bank is also located in Frankfurt.
The Premier said Schaefer had been working round the clock to help companies and workers impacted negatively by the pandemic.
“Today we have to assume that he was deeply worried.
“It’s precisely during this difficult time that we would have needed someone like him,” Bouffier
