Temple staff in Thailand were left stunned when a woman brought in for cremation began moving inside her coffin. The incident occurred at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok, and was captured on video posted to the temple’s official Facebook page. The footage shows the 65-year-old woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pick-up truck, slightly moving her arms and head, leaving staff bewildered.
Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, told The Associated Press that the woman’s brother had transported her from Phitsanulok province after she appeared to have stopped breathing two days prior. “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. She must have been knocking for quite some time.”
The woman had been bedridden for roughly two years, and her health had deteriorated significantly. Her brother had initially tried to donate her organs at a Bangkok hospital, honoring her wish, but the hospital refused because he lacked an official death certificate.
He then brought her to Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, which offers free cremation services, but the temple also could not proceed without the necessary documentation. While explaining the steps to obtain a death certificate, staff heard the faint knocking and promptly sent her to a nearby hospital for assessment.
According to Pairat, the temple’s abbot has pledged to cover her medical expenses. The incident highlights the importance of proper medical verification before declaring death, while providing a rare and remarkable story of survival.
