While the rest of us were probably tucked safely in bed during the windy, rainy weather early yesterday morning, one brave police officer has been hailed as a hero after he ventured out onto Tsing Ma Bridge and used his tact and compassion to save the life of a depressed man.
At around 4am yesterday, a taxi driver called the police to say there was a suicidal man on Tsing Ma Bridge. The cabbie’s passenger, a 45-year-old man of Pakistani descent, had hailed the taxi at Clague Garden Estate in Tsuen Wan at around 3:50am and asked to be taken to the airport, HK01 reports.
When they reached the bridge, however, the passenger made an excuse to get out of the car and handed the driver a HKD500 note and mobile phone.
The cabbie called the police immediately after he saw his passenger climb over the bridge’s five-foot-tall safety barrier and onto a small ledge, which sits at over 60 meters above the water.
Six minutes later, the New Territories South Emergency Unit rushed to the scene. A senior inspector on the team, surnamed Tsang, said the man was found in a “very dangerous” position and would have plunged into the water if he took just one step.
To stall for time until a professional negotiator arrived, Tsang began talking to the man.
Speaking to reporters, Tsang recalled that he first attempted communicating with the man in Cantonese. After that proved ineffective, Tsang switched to English and said, “Cherish your life. Life is precious. Please trust us.”
“He seemed to calm down a bit after hearing that and contemplated my words for a while before saying, ‘I don’t want to leave anymore. I don’t want to die. I want to come down,’ Tsang recounted.
“However, seeing as the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal had only just been lowered at that time and it was still windy, we told him to stay put,” Tsang said. “He had taken off his shoes and we were worried he would slip if he tried to climb back over the barrier.”
The man was later brought to safety by firefighters, and apparently broke down in tears and apologized to the rescue team when he was taken to an ambulance. Personnel from the marine police, traffic police, Fire Services Department, and Tsing Ma Bridge staff were all called to the scene.
In a video shared by the Hong Kong Police Force this afternoon, Tsang said, “I would like to take this opportunity […] to remind everyone that there’s always a solution to every problem. Treasure your life, because it is precious. If you encounter any difficulties, seek professional help and talk to your family and friends.”
Reader Interactions