The finance minister of Hesse, the land where Frankfurt is located, Thomas Schaefer, committed suicide. He was "deeply concerned" about the repercussions of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy, said the Prime Minister of this land Volker Bouffier.

In the midst of a worldwide coronavirus crisis, Hesse finance minister Thomas Schaefer, "deeply concerned" about the repercussions of the epidemic on the economy, has committed suicide, Prime Minister of this German state Volker announced on Sunday Bouffier.

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He worked "night and day"

The 54-year-old minister, married with two children, was found dead on Saturday near a railway track. The Wiesbaden public prosecutor's office has indicated that it favors the possibility of suicide.

Thomas Schaefer was responsible for ten years for the finances of this land where Frankfurt is located, the German financial center, seat of the European Central Bank and major German banks. He was working "night and day" to help businesses and employees adjust to the economic impact of the pandemic, the premier said, saying he was "in shock" in a recorded statement.

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"Today we can assume that he was deeply worried," added the official, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and a member of the CDU like Thomas Schaefer. "It was precisely in these difficult times that we would have needed someone like him," added the tried-and-tested Volker Bouffier.