Woman declared dead comes back to life at her own funeral

Babahoyo : In a remarkable incident in Babahoyo, Ecuador, a septuagenarian woman who had been pronounced dead at a local hospital suddenly came back to life during her own funeral on Tuesday.  

Relatives opened the casket and were astonished to find her gasping for air.

Gilberto Barbera, the woman's son, captured the shocking moment on video and explained, "I lifted up the coffin, and her heart was pounding, and her left hand was hitting the coffin... We called 911 to bring her here to the hospital."

Footage circulating on social media shows the gathered crowd anxiously awaiting emergency services as they arrived at the scene to assist the 76-year-old woman. She was promptly transported back to the hospital for further treatment.

#Ecuador: Una mujer de la tercera edad, de nombre Bella Montoya, fue dada por muerta en el hospital de Babahoyo.

Se la entregaron a su hijo al mediodía para que realizara el velorio, pero horas más tarde se dieron cuenta que aún estaba viva. pic.twitter.com/rpqPBnknfE

— Mauricio Orellana ✖️ (@MauriOrellanaSV) June 10, 2023

The Ministry of Public Health has initiated an official investigation into the incident. According to their statement, the woman had been admitted to the hospital on Friday with suspected stroke and cardiopulmonary arrest. After unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation, a doctor on duty declared her deceased.

Hospital tags can be observed in the video footage, as the son urgently requests an ambulance for his mother.

The woman's full name, as reported, is Bella Yolanda Montoya Castro, which corresponds to the initials "BYMC" mentioned in the Health Ministry's official statement. The ministry also disclosed that she had been under intensive care at the Martín Icaza Hospital in Babahoyo, the same medical facility that initially declared her dead. However, the current condition of the 76-year-old remains unknown.

Furthermore, the ministry mentioned the formation of a national technical committee in collaboration with the Health Services Quality Assurance Agency. This committee aims to conduct a medical audit to determine the individuals responsible for the alleged confirmation of death.