Woman found alive in coffin at her own funeral after being declared dead

An Ecuadorian woman was found alive at her very own funeral in a disturbing turn of events.

Last week, Bella Montoya was pronounced dead at the age of 76 due to a stroke, reported BBC News. Hours into the wake while family members were preparing Montoya for burial, they discovered that she was breathing.

Bella's son, Gilbert Balberán, told local news outlet El Universo: "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."

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Footage of the startling event has since circulated on social media. The clip shows the woman gasping for air in her coffin with several people surrounding her calling for an ambulance. Medics are then seen arriving and then moving her onto a stretcher.

Many Twitter users were confused as to how such a thing could happen.

"Maybe the doctors should do a better job," one person hit back to the recording, while another freaked-out user added: "Okay, zombies are real I’m out."

Montoya has since been taken back to the hospital where she's in intensive care. Ecuador's health ministry now has a committee investigating the bizarre incident.

Her son was quoted as saying to the to AFP News Agency: "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."

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.