TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two bodies found in Kaohsiung's waterways on Thursday (Sept. 15) brought the total number of corpses found in rivers and ponds in the city to eight bodies within 37 days, and to 20 in six months.

Kuomintang (KMT) mayoral candidate and a psychology professor, Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), said Kaohsiung City has recorded the highest suicide rate among the country's six metropolitan cities since 2019, and the number surged to 490 in 2021 alone. There were 17.8 deaths per 100,000 individuals last year in Kaohsiung and that was higher than the national average of 15.3, she added.

However, Pan Chao-ying (潘炤穎), deputy chief of Kaohsiung Department of Health, told ETtoday the suicide rate in the city has actually been on a downward trend after reaching a peak in 2019. The official said the city government has recently responded to the growing number of people trying to kill themselves by jumping off the bridge or into the water with training for patrols working in at-risk water areas, and health experts.

Even so, on Thursday, the body of a female appeared in front of a port security checkpoint, while another deceased female was found in Lotus Pond. A Baofei Commune (爆廢公社) Facebook member suggested that from Aug. 10 to Sept. 15, there have been eight corpses found floating in Kaohsiung's waterways, including seven women and one man.

The same day, at 3:57 p.m., police said that a body had been found under a bridge at the Spring and Autumn Pavilions at Lotus Pond. Paramedics soon arrived at the scene and she was later identified as a 79-year-old woman who had been struggling with recurring depression. CCTV footage shows she was last seen walking alone in the area an hour ago before her body was spotted.

That same day, another female corpse was seen floating in the waters in front of the Kaohsiung Harbor Inspection Office. The body has yet to be identified.

A member of the Baofei Facebook page posted a chart showing the dates, locations, and genders of the bodies found floating on bodies of water in Kaohsiung over the past 37 days. The first case on the list was a female corpse in Chienchen River prompting passersby to alert police on Aug. 10.

On Aug. 12, a female body was seen floating in No. 1 Canal in Kaohsiung Harbor. The woman was found underneath a yacht, wearing a white top and black pants.

A member of the public found a woman without vital signs in Love River on Aug. 18, prompting them to call the police. The woman was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate her.

Two days later, a decomposing corpse was spotted floating in Heart of Love River. The sole male body was found on Love River on Sept. 2.

On Sept. 4, the body of a woman in her 70s was found in Niaosong Wetlands Park. First responders were able to recover a bag the woman had been carrying and inside they found her health insurance card and prescription medication.

The number of deaths in Kaohsiung rivers that have been covered by media outlets in the past six months amounted to 20, according to a UDN report.