KUWAIT: Two people tried to commit suicide by jumping from the Jaber Causeway into open waters in two separate incidents reported over a period of less than 24 hours, authorities said yesterday. The first incident was reported Tuesday night when firefighters managed to rescue a person who jumped from the causeway in a failed attempt to commit suicide, Kuwait Fire Force said.
Firemen used ropes to descend from the bridge, locate the man and rescue him, KFF noted, adding he was handed over to medical emergency personnel in critical condition. The man reportedly got out of a taxi that stopped on the side of the bridge, then immediately scaled the railing and jumped, according to eyewitnesses' reports.
In the second incident reported yesterday morning, a man jumped into the waters but was saved when a person on a passing boat rushed to his aid. The man was in a stable condition as he was handed over to authorities. Earlier this month, authorities banned cycling, walking and other activities on Jaber Causeway after a cyclist was killed by a motorist, who fled the scene. The interior ministry said the ban aimed at protecting lives amid a recent increase in traffic accidents on the bridge.
The latest suicide attempts come a month after a woman jumped to her death from Jaber Causeway, a case that was classified as the first documented suicide from the bridge to be reported by authorities in Kuwait since the causeway was inaugurated two years ago. There had been several unsuccessful suicide attempts from the bridge before that.
In July, the interior ministry said a traffic policeman stopped a woman from jumping from the causeway in an apparent suicide attempt. The traffic department had published a video showing a police officer stepping in and catching a woman while she was trying to jump off the bridge, bringing her back to safety before he and other officers are seen attending to her in her car.
The officer was on patrol on the causeway when he approached the vehicle that had stopped on the side of the road, as seen in the video dated July 19. He checked on the driver, then waited for the vehicle to move, but instead the woman walked out of the car and approached the railing. The policeman ran towards her and caught her when she started climbing it.