Staff at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok were left stunned after a woman believed to be dead was discovered moving inside her coffin just moments before a planned cremation.
The incident occurred at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham in Nonthaburi, where temple officials said the 65-year-old woman arrived in the back of a pickup truck on Sunday. A video posted by the temple showed her lying inside a white coffin, faintly moving her arms and head prompting immediate alarm among staff.
Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, told The Associated Press that the woman’s brother had transported her nearly 500 kilometers from Phitsanulok after she became unresponsive at home and appeared to stop breathing two days earlier.
While discussing cremation procedures, staff heard a quiet knock from inside the coffin.
“I asked them to open it, and everyone was startled,” Pairat said. “She opened her eyes slightly and knocked on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
According to the brother, the woman had been bedridden for two years before her condition suddenly worsened. He had intended to take her to a hospital in Bangkok to fulfill her wish of donating her organs, but was turned away due to the absence of an official death certificate.
The same issue prevented the temple from accepting her for cremation. As staff explained the process for obtaining proper documentation, the knocking began.
Temple officials immediately arranged for her to be transported to a nearby hospital, where she is now receiving treatment. The abbot has pledged that the temple will cover her medical expenses.
