Rescuers in 3-hour standoff with suicidal Filipino on rooftop in Bangkok suburbs
A team of rescuers overpowered a Filipino and prevented him from slashing his own throat on the roof of a house in the Bangkok suburbs on Tuesday, police said.
Bang Bua Thong police station was alerted that a Filipino had climbed up to the roof of his rented house in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district.
The Filipino was later identified as a 43-year-old English teacher at a tuition school in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area.
Locals told police that the man was threatening to cut his own throat with a broken roof tile while continually throwing broken tiles onto the ground below.
Police rushed to the scene – a two-story townhouse – along with rescuers from the Bang Bua Thong disaster prevention office and the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
Rescue officials climbed up to the roof and spent three hours trying to persuade the man to climb down. The rescuers eventually rushed in to overpower him, then tied him to a rescue board and carried him down to the ground.
During the scramble to overpower the Filipino, one rescuer fell from the roof and injured his left leg. He was rushed to the Bang Bua Thong Hospital.
Police then accompanied the Filipino to receive treatment for bruises he suffered during the ordeal. He was taken to the police station to wait for relatives to get in contact and take him home.
In Thailand, Samaritans can be contacted at 02 113 6789, on Facebook, at samaritansthai.com and [email protected]
