Pixabay (stock image)
SAPS has opened up an inquest docket following the discovery of a woman's body at the bottom of the van Stadens Bridge on the N2 between Gqeberha and Jeffreys Bay.
Thornhill police were alerted by a passerby just after 9 am who saw a white Nissa Tilda parked near the bridge with nobody inside.
The vehicle's hazards were also on.
The woman travelled from the Gqeberha side and stopped towards the end of the bridge where the barriers stop.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Majola Nkohli says police arrived on the scene before 10 am and a search and rescue team was dispatched.
He says at about 1 pm the body of a 27-year-old woman was found floating in the water below.
The name of the woman is being withheld until she is positively identified by a family member.
A pedestrian barrier was erected in 2013 to make it harder for people to jump off the notorious bridge.
The Van Stadens Bridge was completed in 1971 and to date, nearly 100 people have jumped to their deaths.
According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), there are 23 suicides a day and 230 serious attempts in SA.
You can call SADAG to talk to trained counsellors.
0800 21 22 23 (8am to 8pm)
0800 12 13 14 (8pm to 8am)
SMS 31393.
