A 65-year-old Thai woman, believed to be dead, stunned temple staff in Bangkok when knocking sounds emerged from inside her coffin after her brother brought her in for cremation. The incident occurred at the Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple in Nonthaburi province, outside Bangkok, where the woman’s brother had driven her from Phitsanulok province. The brother explained that his sister had been bedridden for two years before her health deteriorated, and she appeared to stop breathing two days earlier, leading him to presume she was dead and arrange for her cremation.
However, the hospital refused to accept her without an official death certificate, prompting the brother to seek cremation services at the temple, which also required the certificate. During the process, the temple staff heard knocking from the coffin, prompting them to open it and discover the woman was still alive. The abbot later offered to cover her medical expenses, as reported by the Associated Press.
Temple officials, including Pairat Soodthoop, general and financial affairs manager at the Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple, described the moment of discovery as a shocking and unexpected turn of events. Pairat stated that he was discussing cremation with the woman’s brother when they heard the faint knocking coming from inside the coffin.