In a near-tragic incident in Thailand, a 65-year-old woman shocked temple staff by moving inside her coffin just moments before she was to be cremated. The woman, who had been bedridden and was believed to have died two days prior, was transported 500 kilometers by her brother for the ceremony.
According to the temple manager, Pairat Soodthoop, the group heard a faint knocking from the sealed coffin. “I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled,” he said. “I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
The brother explained that his sister had become unresponsive and appeared to stop breathing. Intending to honor her wish to donate her organs, he drove her body to a hospital in Bangkok. The hospital refused to accept her without a death certificate, leading him to seek a free cremation service at the temple.
It was there that the knocking was heard. The woman was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, and the temple has pledged to cover her medical expenses. The extraordinary event underscores the critical importance of official medical confirmation of death.
By James Kisoo
