PASIR MAS - A total of 17 cases of jumping off bridges, believed to be suicide or attempted suicide cases, have been recorded in Kelantan since 2021.
The Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Zainal Madasin said out of this total, 15 victims drowned whereas one victim was rescued and one still missing.
He said in the latest case yesterday, the fire authorities are still conducting a search and rescue (SAR) operation to locate a 43-year-old man who reportedly jumped off the Tendong bridge here.
"Among the bridges that are most used by victims who jumped off bridges are Sultan Yahya Petra bridge (nine cases), Tendong bridge (three cases), Salor bridge (two), with one case each at Wakaf King, Tok Bali and Pak Nik Lah bridges.
"For statistics by year, we found that in 2021 there were three cases of bridge jumping; seven cases in 2022 and six cases in pada 2023. Whereas at the start of this year, there is already one case (yesterday)," he told reporters after visiting the Disaster Operations Control Centre in Tendong in here today.
Zainal said the cases of jumping off bridges were worrying and he hoped the relevant authorities would also find solutions to curb such cases and these include a proposal to build fences or barriers on the sides of bridges for fear of such cases recurring.
Meanwhile, commenting on the latest case yesterday, Zainal said his team received information regarding the incident at 7.48 pm yesterday.
"Upon receiving the report, a team from the Tunjong Fire and Rescue Department was deployed to the location and it was assisted by the Water Rescue Team from Pengkalan Kubor and Pengkalan Chepa.
"The SAR operation on the surface of the Sungai Kelantan has been carried out since yesterday and will continue today. The K9 Unit from Subang, Selangor will also join in the search,” he also said.
He added that the SAR operation will continue until the victim is found. - BERNAMA