Thai woman shocks temple staff after arriving in coffin

A 65-year-old woman showed signs of life after being brought to the temple in a coffin. The temple sent her to a hospital and pledged to cover her medical treatment / Photo: Khaosod English

A temple in Nonthaburi, Thailand, reported that a 65-year-old woman was found alive after being brought in for cremation on Sunday. Her brother had driven her from Phitsanulok Province, thinking she had died after she became unresponsive at home, the Associated Press reported.

Temple manager Pairat Soodthoop said he asked for the coffin to be opened after hearing a strange sound. When it was opened, the woman was found moving slightly and appeared to open her eyes. Staff then arranged for her to be sent to a nearby hospital.

The brother said she had been bedridden for two years and seemed to stop breathing two days earlier. He wanted to honor her wish to donate her organs, so he took her to a Bangkok hospital. Without a death certificate, the hospital would not accept her. Still believing she had died, he brought her to the temple’s free cremation service but was informed that a death certificate was also required there.

The temple later stated that its abbot would cover the woman’s medical expenses.