A 65-year-old woman in Thailand, who was thought to be deceased, surprised temple staff in Bangkok when they heard faint knocking sounds coming from inside her coffin. This happened just as her brother was preparing to take her for cremation.
Pairat Sudrup, the general and financial manager of Wat Rat Prakhon Tham, recounted that he was in conversation about the cremation process when he first heard the unusual sounds. “I was a bit taken aback,” he admitted. “When they opened the casket, everyone was shocked. I saw her slightly open her eyes and knock on the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
A video posted on Facebook by a Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province showcased the moment, with the woman seen moving her arms and head in the back of a pickup truck, much to the astonishment of the staff.
The woman’s brother explained that she had been bedridden for around two years, and her health had taken a turn for the worse leading up to her presumed death. After she appeared to stop breathing two days earlier, he placed her in a coffin and traveled a considerable distance to Bangkok, intending to donate her organs.
Initially, when the brother tried to admit her to the hospital, they refused without a death certificate. A temple that offers free cremations on Sundays also turned them away due to paperwork issues. While Pairat was discussing how to obtain the certificate, they heard the knocking again, prompting staff to check on the woman. To their shock, they confirmed she was alive and quickly transported her to a nearby hospital.
Pairat noted that the chief priest of the temple later said they would handle her medical expenses.
