At least six children have died over the past months in what has been described as a “nightmarish” chain of suicides in the southwestern town of Ramhormoz in Iran’s oil-rich but impoverished Khuzestan province.

According to local outlets, the suicidal schoolchildren grew up in poverty-stricken families. The motive behind the suicides has been attributed to overall financial strains under which parents could not afford to purchase the kids smartphones, which they would need to join their school programs. The curriculum in Iran has largely become virtual amid the coronavirus pandemic that is raging at record-high levels across the country. The virus had killed over 42,000 Iranians as of Nov. 17.

Statistics released by the director of the Department of Education in Ramhormoz indicated that 4,000 of the town’s 27,000 schoolchildren are lagging behind in their studies due to a lack of access to online learning devices.

Back in October, three similar suicides were reported in the underdeveloped southern province of Bushehr. The case of 11-year-old Mohammad Mousavizadeh particularly grabbed the headlines after his mother told the media that no access to a smartphone for virtual classes threw her son into the tragic ending before he hung himself from the kitchen ceiling.