A man committed suicide yesterday in Beijing by jumping in front of a subway train.

The incident occurred at 2:37 PM yesterday at Chongwenmen Subway Station on the city's Line 2. The man was waiting with other passengers when he suddenly jumped onto the track and was hit by a train, witnesses were quoted by Qianlong.net as saying.

"It just came so suddenly," said one shocked onlooker.

Local transportation police would not give any information on the man.

The driver of the train braked immediately but was not able to avoid hitting the man, said a notice issued by Beijing Metro Operation Company late yesterday.

The company confirmed that the incident was a suicide.

The notice said that after the accident related departments quickly cut power supply and stopped all trains on the line.

Due to lack of power, trains on the line stopped for 50 minutes, said the notice.

Transportation police came to the site immediately and measures were taken to divert passengers to the Line 1 and buses, according to the notice.

According to an operator of the customer service hotline for the Line 2, the company established an emergency precaution system in 2004, which helped ensure a rapid response.

But the old line lacks safety facilities like protective screens, which exist in some cities around the world.

The news provoked concern from residents over transportation safety in the capital city.

"A dozen suicide attempts and fire emergencies have been reported in Beijing's subway. Unless they build some safety screens, today's accident won't be the last," said Gao Lin, a local citizen.

(China Daily October 19, 2006)