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Presumed Dead Woman Knocks From Inside Coffin at Thai Temple — Found Alive and Rushed to Hospital

A 65-year-old woman who had been presumed dead knocked from inside a coffin at a temple near Bangkok, startling staff. Pairat Soodthoop, a temple manager, said the sound prompted them to open the coffin and find her alive. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, and the temple's abbot said it would cover her medical bills. Her current condition has not been released.

Presumed Dead Woman Knocks From Inside Coffin at Thai Temple — Found Alive and Rushed to Hospital

A 65-year-old Thai woman believed to be dead startled temple staff when faint knocking was heard from inside her coffin after her brother brought her for cremation arrangements near Bangkok.

Pairat Soodthoop, the general and financial affairs manager at Wat Rat Prakhong Tham in Nonthaburi province, said he was explaining how to obtain a death certificate when the sound came from the closed coffin. "I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled," Pairat 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."

The temple posted a video on Facebook showing the woman, dressed in white and lying in a coffin in the back of a pickup truck, moving her arms and head. The footage left staff visibly shocked and quickly prompted them to act.

The woman's brother had driven her from Phitsanulok province after she, who had been bedridden for about two years, appeared to stop breathing two days earlier. Believing she had died, he placed her in a coffin and made the roughly 300-mile (about 480 km) trip to a Bangkok hospital where she had hoped to donate her organs. The hospital refused to accept her without an official death certificate, and the temple — which offers free cremations — also declined to proceed without the document.

Once the coffin was opened, staff confirmed the woman was alive and rushed her to a nearby hospital for treatment. The temple's abbot later said the temple would cover her medical expenses. The woman's current condition has not been publicly disclosed.

Key facts: 65-year-old woman; believed dead after a decline in health; brought from Phitsanulok to Nonthaburi for cremation; discovered alive after knocking inside the coffin; transported to a hospital; temple to cover medical costs.

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