Woman in China Thought Dead Moans in Coffin After More Than a Day
In Hezhang, China, a 70-year-old woman was considered dead by her family and officials and placed in a coffin. After more than 24 hours relatives heard sounds from it, but she died the next day anyway.
A 70-year-old woman in the Chinese city of Hezhang, whom her family and officials had declared dead, turned out to be alive after being placed in a coffin. Latvijas Avīze reports the case, citing local media. Her name has not been disclosed.
What happened
The woman had cancer and other illnesses. On 8 September her family found her unconscious at home and concluded that she had died. She was taken to a nearby morgue, where officials confirmed her death. She was then placed in a coffin kept in a refrigerated chamber.
The following evening, more than 24 hours later, relatives came to pay a visit. The woman's daughter-in-law heard groans coming from the coffin. Her grandson later said the family put his grandmother in the coffin on the evening of the 8th, and on the evening of the 9th the daughter-in-law suddenly heard moaning from inside.
Outcome
The woman was rescued from the coffin. She could still open her eyes, but she was very weak and unable to eat or drink. The rescue proved short-lived: the next day the family was told that she had died.
The exact cause of death is unclear. Local media say that even before she was taken to the morgue, her cancer had been deemed incurable and doctors had stopped treatment.
A similar case
This is not the only case of a person declared dead who later regained consciousness. In 2022 in Peru, a woman interrupted her own funeral by knocking from inside the coffin to signal she was alive. She, too, died shortly afterwards.
