LIFE SAVER: Axarquia 'hero' officer foils suicide bid

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80-METRE DROP: The Nerja motorway bridge.

A POLICE officer from Nerja has been hailed a hero after preventing a suicide attempt.

It comes after the dramatic incident unfolded on the A-7 motorway bridge over the Chillar River, where a Guardia Civil patrol spotted a man standing on the outside of the crash barrier, dangerously close to the edge.

After parking on the hard shoulder, the two officers started a conversation with the 41-year-old, who was threatening to leap into the void.

Eventually, one of the pair was able to approach the panicked individual and chatted with him for over half an hour in an attempt to calm him down.

He said that he had serious money problems brought on by his gambling addiction, and that he intended to commit suicide by jumping off the 80-metre high bridge.

After moving within a metre of the man, the officer managed to grab and wrestle him to the ground.

The officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said in the wake of the incident: “It was extremely tense, really unpleasant, because he made his intentions very clear, and it was a miracle that he didn’t drag me over the edge when I grabbed his arm.”

A second traffic unit helped direct traffic throughout the rescue, and the man was taken to a nearby medical centre for treatment after suffering a panic attack.

The incident is likely to spark renewed calls for improved security measures on Axarquia’s motorway bridges following a spate of suicides in 2017.

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