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The woman’s brother had brought her to be cremated at a temple in Thailand
Ap CorrespondentMonday 24 November 2025 14:16 GMT
open image in galleryAn emergency rescue team transports an elderly woman discovered to still be alive after her scheduled cremation at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham temple, Nonthaburi province, Thailand. (Wat Rat Prakhong Tham)
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Temple staff in Thailand were left stunned after a woman, brought in for cremation, began moving inside her coffin.
The extraordinary event took place at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple located in Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok.
A video shared on the temple’s Facebook page showed the woman, lying in a white coffin in the back of a pick-up truck, subtly moving her arms and head, much to the bewilderment of those present.
Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, informed The Associated Press on Monday that the 65-year-old woman had been driven from Phitsanulok province by her brother for the cremation. He added that staff heard "a faint knock coming from the coffin" shortly before her movements were observed.
“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.”
open image in galleryWat Rat Prakhong Tham temple of Nonthaburi in Bangkok, Thailand, where the woman was discovered alive in a coffin. (Getty Images)According to Pairat, the brother said his sister had been bedridden for about two years, when her health deteriorated and she became unresponsive, appearing to stop breathing two days ago. The brother then placed her in a coffin and made the 500-kilometer (300-mile) journey to a hospital in Bangkok, to which the woman had previously expressed a wish to donate her organs.
The hospital refused to accept the brother's offer as he didn't have an official death certificate, Pairat said. His temple offers a free cremation service, which is why the brother approached them on Sunday, but was also refused due to the missing document.
The temple manager said that while he was explaining how to get a death certificate when they heard the knocking. They then assessed her and sent her to a nearby hospital.
The abbot said the temple would cover her medical expenses, according to Pairat.
