Story by: Scott Feng, Sub-Editor:Francis George, Agency:AsiaWire

This is the moment an experienced ferryboat captain lowers his ramp into the water to scoop up a suicidal man who had leapt into the Yangtze River.

The vessel ferrying passengers between the cities of Changzhou and Taixing in East China’s Jiangsu Province was forced to make a full stop when the 32-year-old commuter surnamed Yin jumped into the river.

Footage of the incident at 3:42pm on 1st December shows Yin climbing onto the railings of the deck and jumping into the Yangtze, which is Asia’s longest river.

In the video, Captain Yin Wenlong makes the bold decision to lower the vessel’s ferry slip into the water before slowly reversing towards the passenger’s position.

The security footage shows crew members, including First Mate Cai Rongdao, readying themselves as the vessel travels backwards towards the drowning man.

Captain Yin manages to expertly manoeuvre the ferry slip underneath the passenger before lifting it up halfway, effectively scooping him towards the surface of the water and allowing rescuers to easily reach him.

According to reports, the passenger was found unconscious but brought back to consciousness following 10 minutes of CPR.

He was handed over to authorities in Taixing.

The passenger, who works at a local insurance firm, revealed he was under a lot of stress from work, having failed to reach his sales goals last month.

He was on the ferryboat with his coworker at the time and “joked” about the prospect of drowning himself in the river – before actually deciding to make the leap.

Picture Credit: AsiaWire