Egyptian Minister of Irrigation, Hisham Kandil (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Egyptian Irrigation Minister Hisham Kandil on Monday talked a suicidal ministry official down from the eighth-storey ledge of the ministry building.
According to Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website, the 58-year-old Mostafa Ahmed, a general manager at the ministry's finance department, had crawled out the window and stood on the ledge with the intention of throwing himself off.
The troubled man issued no demands, nor did he provide a reason for his actions.
Kandil successfully convinced Ahmed to come back inside after a number of the suicidal man's colleagues had failed to do so.
Initial investigations suggest that Ahmed was suffering from an emotional disturbance.
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