On October 15, dozens of people gathered around Ben Thuy Bridge area (a bridge on National Highway 1A, across Lam River, connecting Nghe An - Ha Tinh) to watch the body of a father and son hugging and jumping off the bridge on October 13.
Previously, at around 10:00 p.m. on October 13, people discovered a man hugging his two young daughters and plunging into the Lam River in the Ben Thuy bridge area. On top of the bridge, the motorbike and two pairs of students were left behind. The authorities mobilized boats and canoes to search all night, but due to the strong water flow, the rescue work encountered many difficulties. The search is still being urgently launched.
Over the years, Ben Thuy Bridge has become a "hot spot" for suicide bridge jumping incidents. According to local people, dozens of people have come here to end their lives, and most of them have died. Many cases have to organize many days of searching for bodies, which is very expensive.
From that reality, many people have spoken out to request the authorities to study the installation of railings or a self-defense net system at Ben Thuy Bridge to contribute to preventing this heartbreaking condition.
Ms. Hoang Thanh Trang (Truong Vinh Ward, Nghe An) shared: I have witnessed someone preparing to jump off the bridge, but luckily a blue- shirted officer promptly ran over to stop them. He slapped the young man a few times, asking "Are you up yet?". That person burst into tears, admitted his mistake and abandoned the intention to commit suicide. Many countries in the world have installed anti-jumping systems on bridges with many suicide incidents. Since the inauguration of Ben Thuy Bridge, too many people have come to commit suicide, so such a solution is needed."
On October 15, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, an officer of Road Management Area 2 (Ha Tinh area) said: "In fact, there have been many suicide bridge jumping incidents on Ben Thuy Bridge. The proposal to install an anti-suicide or warning system is a legitimate desire of the people. However, to implement it, it is necessary to carefully consider and consider the process, technical standards and comply with current legal regulations".
Ben Thuy Bridge is the first road bridge across the Lam River, connecting Nghe An and Ha Tinh, inaugurated on May 19, 1990. The project is more than 630m long, including 13 spans, considered the " cau of the century" of Nghe An, ending the scene of people on both banks having to cross the river by dangerous ferry and ferry. The construction of the bridge in the period of 1986-1990 is a miracle of the transportation industry, mobilizing thousands of engineers and workers to work continuously in difficult conditions.
