Migrant Leaps to Death From atop 65 ft Bridge in Madurai

Residents of the temple city received a jolt on Thursday afternoon, when a North Indian man believed to be around 30 years old jumped to his death from atop a bridge in Ellis Nagar.

According to police, around 2.30 pm, the man climbed up the bridge and threatened to jump. On information, police rushed to the spot even as people gathered in large numbers and watched his every move anxiously.

Though police officials and people tried to talk and pacify him, he ingnored them.

Later, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Service personnel from Thideer Nagar were called to rescue him. Thirumurgan, an officer said that a tender was rushed to the spot. “At first, we attempted to pacify him, but he did not reply and whenever we moved in he threatened to jump,” said the official.

“We called in people who could talk to him in Hindi and a few other languages to make him stand down, but again he did not respond,” he said.

Meanwhile, the rescue personnel tried to reach him using a ladder and were mere six feet away. Two persons from the public then tried climbing up from either side of the arch. When they were about eight feet away, he jumped from around 65 feet and fell on the railway overhead line and bounced off it and fell in the corner of the net that was laid to soften his fall and then fell to the ground.

He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctor declared him brought dead.

Inquiries are on to establish his identity, the police added.