A 65-year-old Thai woman stunned temple staff at a Buddhist temple near Bangkok after she was found alive inside a coffin just before her scheduled cremation.
The incident occurred at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham in Nonthaburi province, where a video posted to the temple’s Facebook page showed the woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck. Temple workers were shocked when they noticed movement—her arms and head subtly shifting.
Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, told the Associated Press that the woman had been brought from Phitsanulok province by her brother. He said the Thai woman had been bedridden for two years and appeared to have stopped breathing two days earlier.
The brother, assuming she had died, placed her in a coffin and drove approximately 500 kilometers to Bangkok, intending to donate her organs as per her earlier wish. However, a hospital declined to accept the body due to the lack of an official death certificate.
Seeking an alternative, the brother turned to the temple, which offers free cremation services. But while Pairat was explaining the need for legal documentation, he said they heard a faint knock from inside the coffin.
“I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled,” he said. “I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin.”
Temple staff immediately halted the cremation process and arranged for the woman to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The temple’s abbot has reportedly committed to covering her medical expenses.
The woman remains under medical care as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.