It was time to go: elderly Shanghai couple thank neighbours in note before joining hands and committing suicide together
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 18 November, 2015
Zhuang Pinghui [email protected]
The bodies of an elderly couple were found joined hand in hand inside their burned out home in Shanghai on Sunday, a Chinese news website has reported.
They were both aged 85 and had married after meeting in their mid-50s. The wife became paralysed several years ago and was restricted to bed, according to Thepaper.cn.
A note posted outside the home in the city’s Jinshan district said they were grateful for the help of their neighbours but it was “time to go”.
A security camera image of the husband. Photo: SCMP Pictures
One nearby resident tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher but the flames were too strong. The couple had apparently turned on the gas before setting alight flammable materials. Firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control.
The couple were visited by a granddaughter about two hours before the fire started, according to the report.
A neighbour reacts to the news of the couple’s death. Photo:: SCMP Pictures
A neighbour who drank tea with the husband every day said the couple had asked him to pick up some cookware and dishes a few days earlier.
The neighbour also saw a table with offerings and paper money, and when he inquired, the husband said they were supplications to the gods seeking better health for his wife.
The husband had declined an offer to go into an elderly care home or have their children care for them.
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 18 November, 2015
Zhuang Pinghui [email protected]
The bodies of an elderly couple were found joined hand in hand inside their burned out home in Shanghai on Sunday, a Chinese news website has reported.
They were both aged 85 and had married after meeting in their mid-50s. The wife became paralysed several years ago and was restricted to bed, according to Thepaper.cn.
A note posted outside the home in the city’s Jinshan district said they were grateful for the help of their neighbours but it was “time to go”.
A security camera image of the husband. Photo: SCMP Pictures
One nearby resident tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher but the flames were too strong. The couple had apparently turned on the gas before setting alight flammable materials. Firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control.
The couple were visited by a granddaughter about two hours before the fire started, according to the report.
A neighbour reacts to the news of the couple’s death. Photo:: SCMP Pictures
A neighbour who drank tea with the husband every day said the couple had asked him to pick up some cookware and dishes a few days earlier.
The neighbour also saw a table with offerings and paper money, and when he inquired, the husband said they were supplications to the gods seeking better health for his wife.
The husband had declined an offer to go into an elderly care home or have their children care for them.
