141 die of Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy grief
Age Correspondent Hyderabad Sept. 4: In an unprecedented show of love for any politician in the history of modern Andhra Pradesh, at least 141 people have died (including suicides) because they were unable to bear the trauma of the loss of their leader, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. One hundred and fifteen people died of cardiac failure and another 26 committed suicide after the chief minister died in a tragic helicopter crash deep in the Nallamali jungle. While 42 people died on the first day (Thursday) soon after news of YSR’s death reached them, the toll went up to 141 on Friday as many could not bear the shock of their leader’s demise. All TV news channels beamed live the funeral procession and last rites, throwing people into a state of what psychologists described as "mass hysteria". Psychiatrists explain the unprecedented number of deaths to the slow build-up of mental trauma and suppression of emotions over a period of 24 to 48 hours. The news of YSR’s helicopter disa...