Hessens Finanzminister beging Selbstmord. Laut FAZ nannte er im Abschiedsbrief als Motiv "Aussichtslosigkeit der gesellschaftlichen und wirtschaftlichen Lage des Landes". Doch in Windeseile verschwanden diese Textpassagen aus dem FAZ-Artikel. Zu brisant? [_link]

— Boris Reitschuster (@reitschuster) March 28, 2020

German minister commits suïcide after virus crisis worries | Straits Times |

Mr Thomas Schaefer, the finance minister of Germany's Hesse state, has committed suicide apparently after becoming "deeply worried" over how to cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus, state premier Volker Bouffier said on Sunday (March 29).

Mr Schaefer, 54, was found dead near a railway track on Saturday. The Wiesbaden prosecution's office said they believe he died by suicide.

"We are in shock, we are in disbelief and, above all, we are immensely sad," Mr Bouffier said in a recorded statement.

Hesse is home to Germany's financial capital Frankfurt, where major lenders like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have their headquarters. The European Central Bank is also located in Frankfurt.