Woman dies after 'coming back to life' at her own funeral

An Ecuadorian woman, who was found alive in her casket at her own funeral, has now officially died.

Bella Montoya, 76, was initially pronounced dead due to a suspected stroke earlier this month, as per BBC News. Four hours into the wake when family members were preparing Montoya for burial, they discovered that she was breathing.

For the past week, the woman was put on "permanent surveillance" under medical supervision at the Martín Icaza Hospital. She sadly passed from an ischaemic stroke on Friday (16 June).

Her son, Gilbert Balberán, has not yet received any details about the death and warned that things "are not going to stay like this".

He added that his mother's sister made a formal complaint and wanted to identify the doctor who initially declared her dead.

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Earlier this month, footage of the bizarre event soon made went viral across social media. It showed Montoya gasping for air in her coffin as several people surrounded her and called for an ambulance. Medics were then seen arriving before moving the woman onto a stretcher.

Balberán, told local news outlet El Universo last week: "My mother started to move the left hand, open her eyes, the mouth. She was making an effort to breathe."

"The doctor at noon told me that my mother was dead and was not at the facility," he continued. "Another one saw me and he gave her oxygen, they intubated her and took her to an (ICU) room where she is under observation."

Montoya has now been moved back to the funeral home where the initial incident took place, and will later be buried at a public graveyard.

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