‘Dead’ Woman Found Alive And Breathing Inside Her Coffin At Her Own Funeral

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A woman was discovered alive and breathing just before she was supposed to be permanently buried in the ground.

The BBC reports that Bella Montoya passed away last week at the age of 76 after suffering a stroke.

According to reports, her death certificate said that she had "cardiorespiratory arrest due to suffering from an unspecified cerebrovascular disease."

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The elderly Ecuadorian woman's burial was quickly organized by her family.

During the wake, she spent a number of hours in her own casket.

However, as family members began the process of dressing her differently to get her ready for burial, they couldn't believe that she was still breathing.

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Gilbert Balberán, Bella's son, stated to the neighborhood newspaper El Universo: "My mother started to move the left hand, open her eyes, the mouth. She was making an effort to breathe."

Social media videos show Ms. Montoya struggling for breath as onlookers gathered close to her.

To get Bella to a hospital, it was advised that people dial emergency services.

Her vital signs were being monitored by paramedics while they transported her to the closest hospital.

According to the BBC, she is currently being treated in the same intensive care unit that pronounced her dead.

Gilbert claims that what transpired over a short period of time was amazing.

"The doctor at noon told me that my mother was dead and was not at the facility," he explained to El Universo.

"Another one saw me and he gave her oxygen, they intubated her and took her to an (ICU) room where she is under observation."

He added to AFP: "Little by little I am grasping what has happened.”

"Now I only pray for my mother's health to improve. I want her alive and by my side."

The incident will be looked into by Ecuador's health ministry, which will try to determine how a woman could have been certified dead yet still be alive.

After going into cardiorespiratory arrest, the ministry stated in a statement that she did not respond to attempts at resuscitation. A doctor on duty later verified that she had passed away.

According to The Daily Mail, Gilbert will accuse the hospital of negligence in an incident report he will submit to the local prosecutor's office.