Without even thinking of his own safety, his only concern was for the woman struggling in the waters below the second Penang bridge and how he could save her from being swept away by the currents.
- Exceptional bravery and quick wit in rescuing woman
- Risked perishing in choppy waters
Zaidi Salleh, 52, a retired air force flight sergeant, works for bridge concessionaire Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd, He was on duty when a colleague radioed at about 11am that a woman had jumped off the bridge.
The father of three got on his motorcycle at the bridge operator’s office in Batu Kawan and sped to Km9.9 of the bridge, 5 minutes’ away, arriving about 10 minutes after the woman had jumped.
Zaidi saw the woman clinging to a pillar in the water.
Swiftly emptying a five-litre jerrycan of water to use as a makeshift flotation device and lashing it to his waist belt, the bridge patrolman rappelled down to the woman with a towing strap tied to a lamp post on the bridge.
“I thought the water was calm and I could save her,” he told FMT.
Sliding down the towing strap to get closer to the water before diving feet first into the sea, he swam to the woman.
Both of them held on to the pillar for 20 minutes until ocean currents swept them both away from the bridge into open water.
“At first, we were both holding on to the jerrycan but it could not support both of us.
“I decided to give the jerrycan to the woman as she was crying and tense,” said Zaidi.
Heroically, he gave the jerrycan to the woman and stayed afloat on his own.
“I told her to stay strong and life is precious,” he recounted.
He said he was getting weaker by the minute and on the verge of going under when 20 minutes later they were rescued by fishermen from the Pulau Aman jetty who had been alerted by the authorities.
Zaidi said there have been many other cases of people jumping off the bridge, but added that it was the first time he had jumped in to save a person.
Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB) traffic safety manager Zaini Hashim said Zaidi and his partner Mohammad Fitri Abu Bakar were in the second unit responding to the emergency after patrolman Megat Taufik Megat Kamaruddin first spotted the 28-year-old woman’s empty Toyota Avanza on the bridge on Tuesday.
Zaini said the jerrycan Zaidi used is usually filled with water to help drivers with overheated cars, likewise the towing strap.
JKSB corporate communications deputy senior manager Azizi Azizan said Zaidi, a father of three, is a former serviceman in the Royal Malaysian Air Force and a licensed scuba diver.
He began working as an auxiliary policeman four years ago after retiring as an air force flight sergeant from the military.
“Using the jerrycan is not our standard procedure. Zaidi just thought it up on the spur of the moment,” Azizi said, adding that the patrolman was recovering and helping with police investigations.
Netizens were united in praise for Zaidi’s heroics, urging that he be given a medal.
Footage taken by a fisherman in the rescue boat showing Zaidi and the woman being retrieved has since gone viral.
In a two-minute, 32-second video posted on Facebook, the boat crew is seen taking precious minutes to search for Zaidi and the woman as they floated into the open sea.
The woman, clad in a black tudung, black trousers and a black-and-white blouse, is heard crying uncontrollably while muttering “tak mahu balik” (I don’t want to go back) repeatedly as she is being pulled up onto the boat.
The video also shows that she has a backpack and her spectacles on. She is believed to be from Permatang Pauh on the mainland.
She was taken to the Batu Musang jetty and admitted to hospital for treatment. A Penang Fire Department official said she was in stable condition.
Police believed she had attempted suicide because she had been depressed due to family problems.
His jerrycan still lashed to his waist, Zaidi looks visibly exhausted after being hauled on board.
A man’s voice, believed to be that of Zaidi’s, can be heard consoling the woman as the boat returns to shore.
Agencies that took part in the rescue operation included the Fire and Rescue Department, the marine police and Maritime Enforcement Agency of Malaysia (APMM).
Since its opening in 2014, there have been two suicide-related deaths on the scenic bridge which connects Bayan Lepas to Batu Kawan on the mainland.