Foreigner survives hanging attempt from Phuket bridge

PHUKET: Valentine’s Day in Phuket started with an unidentified foreigner attempting to hang himself from a pedestrian bridge in Thalang early this morning.

The man survived, but sustained serious injuries from falling on to the road after the wire he was using snapped. One end of it was tied around his neck and the other was attached to the bridge.

“The incident occurred just after midnight at the six-meter-high bridge near the Makro Thalang junction on Thepkrasattri Road. Coincidentally, patrol police and rescue workers were waiting at a traffic light at the same junction at the same time,” said Lt Sunan Petnhu of Thalang Police.

Officers saw him climbing up the stairs to the bridge with the wire tied around his neck. They tried to stop him and shouted out to him not to jump, but he leapt off before they could get to him.

“It seems that the victim intended to hang himself, but fell on to the road instead. He looked like a foreigner, aged about 40. He injured his neck and other parts of his body,” Lt Sunan added.

Rescue workers rushed the man to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

“We also found a PCX bike, helmet, bag and pair of slippers at the scene. However, there were no identification documents, so we have yet to learn more about him,” said Lt Sunan.

“At the moment, we’re still in the dark about what caused him to jump. It could be a romantic issue as today is Valentine’s Day, but we don’t know that for a fact. We will also check CCTV footage to gather further evidence and question him when he recovers,” he added.

— Winai Sarot