Police in Mbarara City have rescued a drug addicted youth that was attempting to commit suicide on the electric lines in the middle of Mbarara City after failing to access food.
According to Police, the incident occurred on February 21, 2023 at around 2pm after a 20-year-old man (name withheld) failed to find food and resorted to climbing an electric pole in Mbarara Town and end his life.
Police has attached the victim’s action to drugs and frustration resulting from unemployment since he’s always seen in town idle.
Geofrey Ndyanabo, an eye witness who is a security guard at Amazon building said that he witnessed the victim climb the deadly electric pole at around 2:00 pm after being denied food at a nearby supermarket where he had gone to ask for it.
“When the supermarket people refused to give him food, out of frustration he decided to climb the electricity pole in order to commit suicide,” Ndyanabo said.
Ndyanabo added that Umeme and Police responded after receiving information and managed to rescue the victim. He was later taken for a medical checkup to a certain his mental status.
The Police confirmed that at the time the incident occurred, there was a power blackout in the area which also saved his life.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been increased cases of suicide in the country. Several reports indicate that the high cases of suicide are as a result of stress and economic hardships.