A temple in Thailand witnessed a shocking and emotional scene after a woman believed to be dead began moving inside her coffin moments before her planned cremation.
Staff Hear Knocking From Coffin
The incident occurred at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok. In a video posted by the temple on Facebook, the 65-year-old woman can be seen lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, her arms and head faintly moving — leaving staff in disbelief.
Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, told The Associated Press that the woman’s brother had driven her from Phitsanulok province, roughly 300 miles away, believing she had died two days earlier.
According to him, temple workers suddenly heard a soft knocking sound.
“I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled,” Pairat said. “She opened her eyes slightly and kept knocking. She must have been doing it for quite a while.”
Family Believed She Had Passed Away
The woman had reportedly been bedridden for two years, with her health steadily declining. Her brother told staff she had become unresponsive and appeared to stop breathing, leading him to believe she had died. Fulfilling her wishes, he attempted to bring her to a Bangkok hospital to donate her organs, but the hospital refused because he lacked an official death certificate.
He then turned to the temple, which offers free cremation services — but again, due to the missing paperwork, the temple could not proceed.
Temple Intervenes and Sends Her for Treatment
While explaining the process of obtaining a death certificate, Pairat said the faint knocks were heard. After discovering she was alive, temple officials immediately arranged for her to be taken to a nearby hospital for urgent care.
The abbot later announced that the temple would cover all her medical expenses.
