In an incident that seems straight out of a horror movie, staff at a Thai Buddhist temple received the shock of their lives when a woman presumed dead began moving inside her coffin just moments before her scheduled cremation.
The Temple's Startling Discovery
Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple in Nonthaburi province became the scene of an extraordinary medical drama on Sunday when temple staff heard faint knocking sounds coming from a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck. The temple's general and financial affairs manager, Pairat Soodthoop, described the moment reality overturned expectations.
"I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled," Pairat told The Associated Press on Monday. "I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time."
The Long Journey to Recovery
The 65-year-old woman's incredible story began in Phitsanulok province, where she had been bedridden for approximately two years according to her brother. When her health deteriorated further and she became unresponsive, appearing to stop breathing two days earlier, her brother assumed she had passed away.
What followed was a 500-kilometer (300-mile) journey to Bangkok with his sister's body in a coffin. The brother intended to honor his sister's previous wish to donate her organs, but the hospital refused the offer because he lacked an official death certificate.
From Cremation to Hospital Care
With the hospital refusing to accept the body without proper documentation, the brother turned to Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple, which offers free cremation services. However, the temple also required a death certificate, leading to discussions about how to obtain the necessary paperwork.
It was during these discussions that the miraculous knocking began. Temple staff quickly assessed the woman's condition and arranged for her transfer to a nearby hospital. In a remarkable display of compassion, the temple abbot committed to covering all her medical expenses.
The incident serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of proper medical certification and highlights the compassion that can emerge in the most unexpected circumstances.
