Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 10 (IANS): It might be no coincidence, but it happened in a Covid-19 observation centre in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, where an under observation 41-year-old person committed suicide on Thursday.

September 10 is observed as the World Suicide Prevention Day across the world.

Nishanth was found hanging from a ceiling fan in the Covid observation centre run by the state government.

The authorities said he was restless for a few days as he used to consume liquor regularly. But in the observation centre, he could not get liquor resulting in the development of withdrawal symptoms in him.

On Thursday morning, he spoke to his wife over the phone and said that he will commit suicide.

Incidentally, Kerala stands in the fifth position in terms of suicides in India. A total of 8,556 suicides were reported in the state in 2019, while the number was 8,237 in 2018.

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, while the national rate (number of suicides per lakh of population) of suicides was 10.4 per cent in the previous year, Kerala had a rate of 24.3 per cent.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands leads the country with a rate of 45.5 per cent.