The German State Finance minister Thomas Schäfer commits suicide as his Country further plunged into a Coronavirus crisis and he was not being able to manage the financial health of the state as expected by people.
His body was found in railway track and the Police suspect died by suicide after his body was found on train tracks near Wiesbaden. He was the finance minister for the state of Hesse, where Germany's financial center Frankfurt lies.
The presence of a body on the tracks was first reported bywitnesses to paramedics, who were unable to initially identify the remains dueto the extent of the injuries.
Investigators said an investigation on the scene confirmedthe identity of the man as Schäfer and that the death was likely a suicide.Police did not immediately release further details of the case.
According to media in the state of Hesse, the 54-year-oldregularly appeared in public in recent days, for example, to inform the publicabout financial assistance during the coronavirus crisis.
Schäfer was a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats (CDU). He had been active in Hessian state politics for more than two decades and was finance minister for almost 10 years.
Germany's financial capital, Frankfurt, lies in Hesse and isthe state's biggest city. Schäfer had been widely expected to succeed statepremier, Volker Bouffier, if he decided not to stand for re-election in 2023.
In a statement, Bouffier said that the state's leadershiphas received the news with "sadness and disbelief." Bouffier alsosaid that Schäfer had been living under considerable worry and stress becauseof the current COVID-19 pandemic.
"His main concern was whether he could manage tofulfill the huge expectations of the population, especially in terms offinancial aid," Bouffier said on Sunday. "For him, there was clearlyno way out. He was disappointed and so he had to leave us. That has shocked us,has shocked me."
