By Gerald Niyirinda
Shock engulfed residents of Mutolere, in Kisoro district when a 30-year-old single mother attempted suicide by jumping from a telecommunication mast in Nyakabande Sub County.
The shocking incident occurred Wednesday evening at Mutolere Trading Centre in Mburara village, when the woman climbed the mast to the top, before stripping naked.
She has been identified as Ntabanganyimana Judith, a resident of Chuho village, Gasiza parish in Nyakabande Sub County, Kisoro district.
It remains unknown how Ntabanganyimana managed to get to the mast – which is fenced – with her child aged around 8 years.
By 5pm, she was spotted by boda boda cyclists as she climbed. Her son pleaded with her to come down in vain.
However, family members however claim she has a mental sickness, which was discovered of recent.
Nsabiyunva Andrew, a relative, said, “she told her sister that she wasn’t feeling well. But we just found out that she has mental issue and some of us were already praying for her. We are now worried whether she will climb down safely.”
The Mburara village LCI Chairperson, Tumushime Innocent, had told Voice of Muhabura that they were shocked with the incident.
“She removed all her clothes and threw them down. She then appeared to be upside down. For over an hour, we mobilized police and priests to pray for her, all in vain.”
Tumushime said it was all at the mercy of God, for the single mother to climb down.
Eyewitnesses say, “she bid goodbye to her son and started climbing. Reaching the middle, she removed all her clothes and just stayed there.”
“After removing all clothes, she lost hold of the metals and almost fell off. She climbed again to the top,” They said.
The number of onlookers increased, and thereafter mobilised to invite priests and Nuns from the nearby St Mary’s Mutolere Parish and Mutolere Hospital Chapel to pray for the woman, who was now unclothed.
After praying for the woman who looked unbothered, nuns from Mutolere convent rescued the boy.
Police arrived by 6pm, but the fire and rescue services department was unable to rescue the woman who had failed to jump to her death, and refused to climb down. Police stayed at the scene for over 6 hours until she decided to abandon her suicide mission.
Kisoro Police OC Station, SP Tumuhirwe Alex, said that the nature of the terrain and the height hindered their efforts to save the woman.
“The terrain and the height have become difficult for us. But as she tried to come down, the crowds made noise and she went up again. So, we have secured the scene by moving people away from here because she is also naked and won’t feel comfortable among all these people. But we are hopeful she will come down.” Said Tumuhirwe.
Police and the crowds kept pleading with the woman to come down in vain.
However, at 10:30pm, the woman deliberately climbed down.
She was then handcuffed, before admission to St Francis Hospital Mutolere.
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