This “dead” woman awoke inside a coffin—at her own funeral

76-year-old Bella Montoya startled her grieving family when she knocked on the lid of her coffin, five hours into her own wake.

On Friday, the woman was admitted to Martin Icaza public hospital in Babahoyo, Ecuador, after suffering a suspected stroke.

Montoya’s son, Gilbert Balberán, said that his mother was unconscious when she was admitted to hospital.

He was told by doctors that his mother went into cardiopulmonary arrest and did not respond to resuscitation.

A few hours later, she was declared dead by the doctor on duty, who informed Balberán and handed over identity documents and a death certificate.

Montoya was then brought to a funeral home, and a wake was held later that same day.

“There were about 20 of us there,” Balberán said.

“After about five hours of the wake, the coffin started to make sounds. My mom was wrapped in sheets and hitting the coffin, and when we approached we could see that she was breathing heavily.”

A video taken by one of the mourners shows Montoya lying in a coffin and struggling to breathe.

Someone can be heard complaining that the ambulance they called had not yet arrived.

Minutes later, firefighters arrived and Bella Montoya was returned to the same hospital where she had previously been declared dead.

Currently, Montoya is hospitalised in the intensive care unit and under intubation.

Gilbert Balberán said that doctors were not optimistic about his mother’s condition, however, he appeared hopeful about her recovery.

“My mom is on oxygen. Her heart is stable. The doctor pinched her hand and she reacted,” Balberán said to local news outlets.

“They tell me that this is good, because it means that she is reacting little by little.”

“Little by little I am grasping what has happened. Now I only pray for my mother’s health to improve. I want her alive and by my side,” he said.

A government investigation into Martin Icaza hospital and the doctors involved in Bella Montoya’s case is currently underway.