/ 14 January 2005

First suicide on world’s tallest bridge

Police in southern France on Friday reported the first suicide from the Millau viaduct, the world’s tallest bridge, after finding the body of a man at the base of one of its seven pillars.

The man, who was not immediately identified, apparently abandoned his car on the bridge before climbing over the side rail and jumping to his death.

The Millau viaduct, inaugurated on December 14 by French President Jacques Chirac, is 2,46km long and carries drivers 270m above the river Tarn.

At its highest point, the bridge designed by British architect Norman Foster soars to 343m. — Sapa-AFP