"Knocking Sound from the Hall"…Grandmother Awakens During Funeral, Declared 'Dead' Twice in One Week

Declared dead but revived at funeral hall
Died again a week after treatment... Authorities investigating

In South America’s Ecuador, a woman in her 70s was declared dead, woke up, and then died again a week later.

According to foreign media reports including CNN on the 17th (local time), 76-year-old retired nurse Bella Montoya was declared dead on the 9th at a hospital in Babahoyo due to suspected ischemic stroke symptoms. Montoya was then placed in a coffin and moved to a funeral home, where her family and acquaintances held an overnight prayer vigil before the funeral. However, about five hours later, when they opened the coffin to change her clothes, Montoya suddenly began gasping for breath.

Her son, Hilberto Barbera Montoya, said, “At that time, my mother was knocking on the coffin,” adding, “When we rushed over, she first started moving her left hand, then opened her eyes and mouth, struggling to breathe.”

Shortly after, paramedics arrived at the scene and transported Montoya back to the hospital. She was urgently admitted and treated in the intensive care unit for a week but ultimately passed away again on the 16th. The deceased was moved back to the same funeral parlor where the first death was declared.

Hilberto recalled the time when Montoya was first declared dead, saying, “A few hours after my mother arrived at the emergency room, the doctor informed us of her death and handed over documents including the death certificate.”

The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

In response, last week, Ecuador’s Ministry of Health announced the formation of a committee to investigate the circumstances under which the hospital issued Montoya’s death certificate. However, the Ministry has not disclosed detailed information about the progress of the investigation.

Hilberto also said, “We have not received any explanation from the authorities about how this incident occurred,” and added, “The maternal side of the family has officially requested the disclosure of the identity of the doctor who initially declared my mother dead.”

This is not the first case where a person presumed dead was found to be alive. In February, an 82-year-old woman at a nursing home in New York State, USA, was declared dead and moved to a funeral home but revived three hours later and was immediately transported back to the hospital. Her subsequent condition remains unknown.

Also, in January, a 66-year-old woman in a hospice ward in Iowa, USA, was declared dead and placed in a body transport bag to be moved to a funeral home, but was found alive by funeral home staff when the bag was opened.

The woman was immediately taken to the emergency room, returned to the hospice ward, survived for two more days, and then passed away again. The facility that issued the incorrect death declaration was reportedly fined $10,000 (approximately 12.5 million KRW).

In 2016, in Russia, a man who had been declared dead and placed in a morgue woke up and even drank with people who had come to mourn him.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.