Bangkok
AP
—
A Thai woman started moving inside her coffin after being taken for cremation, surprising temple officials.
Wat Rat Prakorn Tham, a Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok, posted on its Facebook page a video of a woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, moving her arms and head slightly, baffling temple staff.
The temple’s general affairs and finance director, Pairat Soodhoop, told The Associated Press on Monday that the 65-year-old woman’s brother drove her from Phitsanulok province to be cremated.
A faint knocking sound was heard coming from the coffin.
“I was a little surprised, so when they opened the casket, everyone was shocked,” he said. “I saw her open her eyes a little bit and knock on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite a while.”
Pailat said her brother said her sister had been bedridden for about two years, but two days ago her sister’s health deteriorated and she became unresponsive and appeared to stop breathing. The brothers then placed her in a coffin and traveled 500 kilometers (300 miles) to a Bangkok hospital where the woman had previously expressed her desire to donate her organs.
Pyrat said the hospital refused to accept the brothers’ offer because they did not have an official death certificate. His temple offers free cremation services, so the brothers approached them on Sunday but were turned away due to lack of documentation.
A temple administrator said he was explaining how to receive a death certificate when he heard a knock. They then examined her and sent her to a nearby hospital.
Pairat said the chief priest said the temple would cover her medical expenses.
