Woman believed to be dead wakes up in coffin moments before cremation
A woman presumed to be dead woke up in a coffin only moments before cremation was set to begin.
The horrifying ordeal took place at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok. Staff heard a curious sound coming from the coffin. Upon closer inspection, they realised the “deceased” woman was knocking from the inside.
The woman was presumed to have stopped breathing two days prior. Her family had travelled hundreds of miles with the dead body in preparation for the cremation.
The 65-year-old was saved from a gruelling, untimely fate with only moments to spare. A shocked temple manager, Pairat Soodthoop, noticed the knocking noise just in time.
As per Sky News, Soodthoop shared, “I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled.”
He added incredulously, “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 cremation was set to be live-streamed for her other family members, and was quickly called off.
The woman, identified as Chonthirat Sakulkoo, had been bedridden for around two years before her health worsened. Her brother brought her in for cremation, once believing that she had stopped breathing.
After placing her in a coffin, he drove her 300 miles from Phitsanulok province to just outside of Bangkok. Apparently, local officials had told him that his sister had died.
After they discovered the woman was alive, she was sent to Bang Yai Hospital, where she was treated for hypoglycemia. The Temple offered to cover the extra medical expenses. The hospital eventually released her back into the care of her brother.
However, as per a local news source, when asked how he felt to learn that his sister was still alive, her brother remained nonchalant, sharing that he was “indifferent” to the matter. Back to the Phitsanulok province, they went.