A German state finance minister reportedly killed himself after he expressed “despair” over how to handle the economic fallout of coronavirus.
The body of Thomas Schaefer, the finance minister of the country’s Hesse region, was found on train tracks near Frankfurt.
Authorities interviewed witnesses about "their own observations" from the scene and concluded it was a suicide.
According to state governor Volker Bouffier, Schaefer was concerned over “whether it would be possible to succeed in fulfilling the population’s huge expectations, particularly of financial help.”
“I have to assume that these worries overwhelmed him,” Bouffier said, reports AP. “He apparently couldn’t find a way out. He was in despair and left us.”
Death of German finance official linked to virus crisis#coronavirus #COVIDhttps://t.co/iFeA0sCDnu
— Manish Bangia (@manish_bangia) March 30, 2020
President Trump warned last week about the effects of a long economic shut down, including high suicide rates.
Nor should we ignore how dangerous this financial crisis and our social isolation is for those already vulnerable. https://t.co/sGE8h216mV
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) March 30, 2020
I absolutely hate how flippant people are about the economic concerns here. “You’re choosing money over people!” No, you imbecile, we’re worried about the people whose lives are being ruined. Argue that it’s a price worth paying, fine, but don’t act like it’s not a price at all.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 29, 2020