BERHAMPUR: Unable to bear the loss of their son reportedly to Covid-19, a couple died by suicide at Narayanpur village under Kabisuryanagar block in Ganjam district on Friday night.
The victims were a 56-year-old tax collector of Kabisuryanagar and his wife. Their 27-year-old son, a teacher, died reportedly due to Covid-19 earlier in the day.
Sources said, the youth who taught at school in S Pankalabadi village was working as a frontline worker at a quarantine centre since May.
During his duty at the centre, he contracted flu and fever. He was admitted to Aska Covid care centre on June 26 and later shifted to SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar where he succumbed on Friday.
Suspecting that youth died due to Covid-19, the hospital authorities refused to hand over his body to his parents.
Dejected and heart-broken, the couple returned to their home in Kabisuryanagar.
Late in the evening, the father left his house and hanged himself from a nearby tree. On hearing the news, his wife also hanged herself from the ceiling of the house.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)