Thai Woman Found Alive Moments Before Cremation After Knocking Inside Coffin
A 65-year-old Thai woman, believed to have died and transported for cremation, was discovered alive after temple staff heard knocking from inside her coffin at a Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi Province.
The woman, whose name has not yet been released, had been declared dead by her brother in Phitsanulok after she reportedly became unresponsive. In fulfilment of what he believed were her wishes, he transported her body in a white coffin on a more than 500-kilometre journey to Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, just outside Bangkok, intending to cremate her and donate her organs.
On arrival at the temple, staff requested a formal death certificate, a document the brother did not possess. As discussions continued, Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and Financial Affairs Manager, said he suddenly heard a faint but persistent knock coming from the coffin.
“When I asked them to open the coffin, everyone was startled,” Pairat recalled. “She opened her eyes slightly and kept knocking. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
Shocked temple workers immediately called for medical assistance. Footage shared on the temple’s Facebook page shows the woman inside the coffin, her hands and head moving weakly as she attempted to respond to those around her.
Emergency medical personnel later confirmed that the woman was not dead but suffering from severe hypoglycaemia a dangerously low blood sugar condition that can mimic the appearance of death. Doctors ruled out cardiac arrest or respiratory failure.
She was quickly transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment. The temple’s abbot has offered to cover her medical expenses.
Authorities say the woman’s brother had earlier taken her to a Bangkok hospital to donate her organs, only to be turned away because he lacked official documentation confirming her death.
The incident has triggered widespread concern in Thailand over the procedures used in declaring death, with calls for stricter verification requirements to prevent similar near-fatal mistakes.
The woman remains under medical observation, while police and health officials look into the circumstances surrounding the false death declaration.
