Suicide is a very difficult subject to approach. It’s very sad when a person loses all hope, and the only option they feel they have left is suicide. When researching suicide online, you come across thousands of heartbreaking stories along with thousands of outlets offering help, therapy, and more. While researching this subject, I came across some, I hate to say it, but ‘popular’ locations where suicides tend to happen quite often. The areas are beautiful, but they do hold a very dark secret as they are known suicide landmarks. Read below for more information.
1. Westgate Bridge – Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
On average, one suicide is committed here every 3 weeks before the suicide barrier was erected in 2009.
2. Van Stadens Bridge – South Africa
The first suicide off this bridge was only 12 days after it was open to the public on November 11, 1971. They now use a million dollar video camera surveillance system which was installed in 2005. It has reportedly helped to rescue over 20 people from jumping.
3. Turisalu Pank – Estonia
This is a cliff which is a popular sight seeing destination has also become a popular suicide location, especially for younger people.
4. The Gap – Sydney, Australia
Between 1964 and 2009, a man known as the “Angel of the Gap”, Don Ritchie saved 164 people from jumping to their deaths from these cliffs. Don lived nearby and would simply engage potential jumpers in conversation, then invite them home for tea.
5. Sunshine Skyway Bridge – Florida
Between 1954 and 2009, at least 207 people have committed suicide here. Since then, a movie has been made to help deter suicide by interviewing survivors and families of suicide victims. Also stopping on the bridge for any non-emergency reason is strictly prohibited. Pedestrians and bicyclists are also prohibited from using the bridge and there is a 24 hour patrol monitoring the bridge.
6. Prince Edward Viaduct – Toronto, Ontario
Between 1918 and 2003, there have been nearly 500 suicides ranking it as the second most fatal standing structure in North America. In 2003, a barrier was completed to help prevent suicide from being carried out here.
7. Pigeon’s Rock – Beirut, Lebanon
Also known as Suicide Point, it used to be a popular suicide spot in the 1940s.
8. Nusle Bridge – Prague
Also known as Suicide Bridge, a fence was added in 1997 to prevent suicides. Then a 3 foot wide strip of polished metal was added in 2003 as well making it much more difficult to scale.
9. Niagara Falls – Ontario, Canada
Between 1856 and 1995, there have been nearly 3,000 suicides at The Falls, however not all are suicides in the strictest sense. Many were trying to see if they could survive going over the falls, but they failed unfortunately.
10. NYC Skyline – New York City, New York
In New York City, 80 out of nearly 500 suicides a year were off the top of skyscrapers.
11. Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge – Nanjing, China
This is the most common suicide site in the world with over 2,000 deaths since 1968.
12. Mount Mihara – Izu Oshima, Japan
This is an active volcano where people would jump to their deaths in a lava pit. Japan made it illegal to purchase a one-way ticket to the island in an attempt to prevent more suicides.
13. London’s Underground – England
People throw themselves in front of oncoming trains on an almost daily basis.
14. Lawyer’s Head – New Zealand
This location has the highest number of deaths at one location in New Zealand, averaging just over one death a year.
15. Humber Bridge – England
There have been over 200 incidents of suicide since 1981 with only 5 survivals. A suicide barrier is currently being constructed to prevent future victims of suicide in this location.
16. Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco, CA
This is the second most used suicide site in the world. The unofficial count of suicides here exceeds 1600 as of 2012. The media was asked to stop reporting on suicides to help detour future attempts.
17. Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge – Luxembourg
Since opening in 1966, more than 100 people have committed suicide by jumping from this bridge. The government decided to build a barrier to prevent further suicide attempts.
18. The Corinth Canal – Greece
There have been over 15 different nationalities of suicide victims in the past few years here alone.
19. Erskine Bridge – Scotland
This is one of hte most notorious suicide spots in Scotland, with more than 15 people committing suicide each year. To help prevent suicide, the bridge is now monitored by bluetooth technology.
20. Eiffel Tower – France
Since opening in 1889, there have been 349 deaths by suicide at the Eiffel Tower (not all by jumping – some by hanging).
21. Eduardo Villena Rey Bridge – Peru
It is said that the bridge is haunted by those who have committed suicide here. In order to prevent further suicide attempts, the bridge was covered with large windows.
22. Colorado Street Bridge – Pasadena, CA
The first suicide reported here was in 1919 and the latest in May of 2014. Suicide barriers have been added but with little hindering.
23. Beachy Head – Southern England
An average of 20 deaths by suicide occur at this location each year. Between 1965 and 1979, there were 124 deaths. The number of suicides decreased since patrols have started monitoring the location twice daily. Taxi drivers and pub workers also keep an eye out for potential jumpers as well.
24. Aokigahara Forest – Japan
Up until 1988, an average of 100 suicides took place here every year. In recent years, the authorities have stopped publicizing suicides in this location to help reduce the association with suicide in this area.
I once saw an e-card that said “Suicide” in large letters. And under that it says: “The word suicide caught your attention, didn’t it? The truth is suicide catches everyone’s attention. It’s the actions that lead up to suicide that go unnoticed.”
If you know anyone who could use some help, please have them call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. With someone always there to talk to, even anonymously, we’re sure it could have all the difference in the world to someone struggling with these issues.