Additional Coverage:
Woman Awakens in Coffin En Route to Cremation, Temple Staff Stunned
BANGKOK, Thailand – In a truly astonishing turn of events, a woman believed to be deceased stirred to life within her coffin as it was being transported for cremation, leaving temple staff and her family in utter disbelief. The incident, which unfolded at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok, was captured on video and quickly circulated online.
The woman’s brother had undertaken a nearly 300-mile journey from Phitsanulok province, bringing her to the temple for what he believed would be her final rites. According to Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, a faint knocking sound emanating from the coffin first alerted them.
“I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled,” Soodthoop recounted. “I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
The brother explained that his sister had been bedridden for approximately two years. Two days prior, her condition had deteriorated, leading her to become unresponsive and seemingly cease breathing. Believing she had passed away, he placed her in the coffin with the intention of taking her to a Bangkok hospital where she had previously expressed a desire to donate her organs.
However, the hospital declined to accept the body without an official death certificate. Subsequently, the brother approached Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, which offers free cremation services, but was again refused due to the lack of documentation. It was during this discussion about obtaining a death certificate that the unexpected knocking began.
Following the remarkable discovery, the woman was promptly assessed and transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention. The abbot of Wat Rat Prakhong Tham has reportedly committed to covering her medical expenses.
This extraordinary event echoes a similar incident where a man, presumed dead, made a dramatic appearance at his own funeral. The 22-year-old from Alderetes, Argentina, had been reported missing after a multi-day drinking binge.
When a body was discovered beneath a sugarcane truck, his mother identified it as her son based on clothing and physical characteristics. A funeral was swiftly organized.
However, as mourners gathered to pay their respects, the man himself walked into the service, reportedly unaware that he had been declared deceased. He informed shocked attendees and police that he had been heavily consuming alcohol and had no knowledge of another body being mistaken for his.
His unexpected arrival caused considerable commotion, prompting questions about the identity of the individual in the casket. The live man was taken to the local police station for questioning, while the body in the coffin was returned to the morgue for proper identification.