Yuan Zhigang, deputy head of the People's Congress, the legislature, of Xin'an County in central China's Henan province, committed suicide by driving into the reservoir on August 5, 2014, the local publicity department has confirmed.

Local police retrieve a black car which ran into the reservoir at 3:45 p.m. on August 5, 2014. Yuan Zhigang, deputy head of the National People's Congress (NPC) of Xin'an County in central China's Henan province, was found in the car. He died at 58. Local authority says Yuan committed suicide and the investigation is still ongoing. [Photo / Chinanews.com]

Yuan borrowed large amounts of money before his death, but whether the borrowing is linked to his suicide has not been confirmed, the Beijing News reports.

Local police found Yuan Zhigang in a black car in the Linzhuang reservoir at 3:45 p.m. on August 5.

Emergency treatment failed to bring him back to life. He was 58.

Local authority confirmed Yuan's death via its official Sina Weibo that night.

Chief of Xin'an County's publicity department says Yuan didn't leave a note and the suicide is under investigation.

The number of officials committing suicide is rising across the country. In July, six local officials suicide nationwide, an article by Xinhua news agency says.

On June 5, Chen Baifeng, vice mayor of Weifang City, Shandong Province, hanged himself in his house. Relatives said he had been "depressed" for many years.

Officials face growing scrutiny as to their performances, and China's unprecedented anti-corruption campaign has had an extremely frightening impact, the Xinhua wire article says.

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