In a bizarre incident, a 65-year-old Thai woman, identified as Chonthirat Sakulkoo, was recently discovered alive in her coffin just moments before her scheduled cremation at the Wat Rat Prakhong Tham Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, The Associated Press reported.
The astonishing event occurred as Chonthirat, who had been bedridden for approximately two years and whose health had been steadily deteriorating, appeared to stop breathing at home in Phitsanulok province.
Her brother, Mongkol Sakulkoo, alongside their family and local village officials, believed she had passed away and prepared for her final rites, relying on locally issued paperwork rather than an official medical death certificate.
Hospital didn’t issue death certificate
Following her presumed death, Chonthirat’s body was transported in a coffin over 300 miles to Bangkok, as she had previously expressed a desire to donate her organs.
However, staff at the hospital refused to accept her for organ donation once they realised the absence of a certified death certificate.
As a result, Mongkol sought out the temple’s free cremation services, but the temple staff also declined to proceed without the necessary documentation.
Knocking sound heard from coffin
While the temple manager, Pairat Sudthup, was explaining the process of obtaining a valid death certificate to the family, staff members heard faint knocking noises coming from inside the coffin.
“I was a bit surprised, so I asked the [temple staff] to open the coffin, and everyone was startled,” Pairat told AP, adding, “I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
Temple staff immediately halted cremation preparations and arranged for Chonthirat to be transported to a nearby hospital for urgent care.
She was subsequently stabilised and remained under medical observation, with the temple offering to cover her medical expenses.