Man found dead inside car in apparent suicide

A man was found dead in a car in Pudong New Area Saturday afternoon, local media reported.

The deceased man was found in a Chevrolet parked in an outdoor parking lot near the intersection of Laiyang and Qifan roads, according to the news portal xinmin.cn, which quoted a report aired on Shanghai Television Station. The vehicle had Shanghai license plates.

Residents found the man lying on the driver's seat, the report said. A layer of dust covered the interior of the car. A pot of burnt charcoal was found under the backseat.

Burning charcoal in a confined, enclosed space is common method of committing suicide.

Paramedics pronounced the man dead after arriving at the scene. Authorities believe the man had been dead for several days when his body was found.

Police were still investigating the case Sunday.