Twin sisters attempt suicide over mortgage payments, one dead  

杭州孪生姐妹牵手跳楼一死一伤 自称因按揭难还

The building where Zhang and her twin sister live. [Photo: zjol.com.cn]

Zhang, one of the twins, is in hospital. [Photo: zjol.com.cn]

(ECNS) -- Twin sisters in Zhejiang province jumped from the sixth floor on Thursday as they feared they could not keep up with their mortgage payments, a local news website reported.

A woman surnamed Wang in a residential community of Hangzhou's Xiacheng district called police after she heard a sudden noise around 5:10am Thursday and found two women lying on the ground unconscious.

One of them fell on a tree, which saved her life, and was sent to the hospital, but the other died in the fall.

The woman surnamed Zhang in the hospital said she and her twin sister, both 38 and unmarried, lived together after their parents died. They were given an apartment after demolition of their old home, but had to pay back 110,000 yuan ($17,702) in mortgage.

"We are unable to pay the mortgage, as we don't have jobs," she said. "We decided to jump hand in hand, after talking last night."

Zhang suffered fractures and lung damage, and had her arm covered with a plaster, but then refused further treatment and insisted on leaving the hospital.

The police attributed the tragedy to her mental state after a preliminary investigation, and is continuing the investigation.

Yan, who lives in the opposite apartment, said the twins moved into the 38-square-meter apartment last April and were always seen together.

Another neighbor surnamed Tian said their apartment is worth 840,000 yuan ($135,183). "They greet us with smiles, but seldom talk," she said.