At the wake of an Ecuadorian, the mourners were shocked to find that their supposedly deceased relative had begun banging on the inside of the casket.
Bella Montoya, 76, became conscious during the vigil that took place in Babahoyo on Friday. A video shows medics tending to her after her family realized that she was still alive. Montoya was seen breathing clearly as she was removed from the coffin and onto a stretcher.
Gilbert Balberán, Montoya’s son, told local media that her left hand was hitting the side of the coffin and shaking. Balberán said that the wake was held only four hours after she was declared dead with a death certificate given out by a medical examiner.
It was reported that Montoya had cardiorespiratory arrest, which caused her to enter a trance-like state with rigid body, decreased pain sensitivity and slow bodily functions.
The hospital staff believed she was dead, but Montoya is now being taken care of in the same hospital. Balberán said that her heart is stable and she is reacting. He hopes for her to recover and be by his side.
Balberán described the event as a miracle from God and is coming to terms with it. The Ministry of Health of Ecuador has assigned a technical team to investigate why a death certificate was wrongly marked. This is not the first time that a person has been found to be alive at their own funeral.
In 2019, the 3-year-old Mexican girl’s relatives noticed the coffin’s glass window fogging up at the funeral viewing and found that the child was alive. Unfortunately, she passed away in the hospital later.