Trigger warning: This article involves mentions of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
On 9 March, 2 media photographers, Masry Che Ani from The Sun and Ahmad Zhafaran Nasib, 38 from The Star rescued a woman who wanted to jump off the Penang bridge.
It was 12.30pm in the afternoon that time and both of them were going to George Town from Butterworth, reported BERNAMA.
Travelling on the Penang bridge, they noticed a woman in her 30s who was climbing over a barricade at the emergency stop on KM 3.4.
As they got nearer, they heard her sobbing uncontrollably so the both of them stopped their motorcycles immediately and went over to her slowly.
Masry approached the woman carefully and talked to her, reported Harian Metro. When he saw an opportunity, he pulled the woman back to safety while Ahmad Zhafaran prevented her from jumping off.
After the woman was back on the ground, Ahmad Zhafaran calmed her down and talked to her while waiting for the police and PLUS officers to arrive.
According to KOSMO, the police arrived 15 minutes later and Ahmad Zhafaran spent 40 minutes calming her down before passing her over to the authorities.
Kudos to the 2 photographers for saving her! We hope that she will be able to get the help that she needs and will be able to heal.
We know that sometimes, life gets hard and you have to know that you are not alone in this.
If you’re feeling lonely, in distress, in despair, or if you’re having suicidal thoughts, Befrienders is providing emotional support 24 hours a day.
It’s never too late to reach out and talk to someone. It’s free and confidential.
Befrienders Hotline: 03 – 7627 2929
Also read: My Fellow Malaysians, It’s High Time We Stop Addressing Suicide As ‘Stupid’ & ‘Selfish’
