“Deeply worried” on how to handle economic fallout caused by coronavirus
Thomas Schaefer, Finance Minister of Germany’s Hesse was found dead on (29.3.2020) near a railway track near Frankfurt. He is believed to have committed suicide due to mental stress that arose over managing the economic turmoil caused by coronavirus in the State.
The death was announced as suicide by the police and public prosecutor’s office in Hesse. They gave no information of the motive and said the death was decided taken as suicide due to “extensive crime scene work, questioning of numerous witnesses, situation on site and technical & forensic evaluation and investigations”
Chief Minister of Hesse Volker Bouffier said “we are in shock, we are in disbelief and above all we are immensely sad”. Thomas Schaefer worked day and night to help the companies and workers deal with the economic impact of the pandemic, Bouffier recalled. He added that “today we have to recall that he was deeply worried”
Schaefer was well respected and popular in Hesse. News agency Reuters reported that Schaefer had been widely expected to succeed Bouffier if the latter did not contest for re-election in 2023.