According to a son, an elderly woman woke up inside a coffin after a five-hour wake and is now in a state hospital in Ecuador, where she had previously been declared dead. In a video posted on Twitter, Bella Montoya, 76, can be seen in her open coffin and breathing heavily after being locked in for a long period, while two men assist her.
The son, Gilbert Balberán, said that his mother was hitting the box with her left hand, which was still throbbing. Due to the lack of money, on Friday he had to manage the donation of the coffin. “They even gave us a death certificate,” Balberán said in a video broadcast by local media. The unusual news was picked up by the press, with headlines celebrating the “resurrection” of the old woman.
Balberan said that his mother is in the hospital with oxygen and that her heart is stable. The doctor pinched her hand, and she reacted, which was considered a good sign that she is slowly recovering.
On Friday, Montoya was pronounced dead at the Martin Icaza Hospital in Babahoyo. The Ministry of Health issued a statement admitting that she was admitted to the hospital with a presumed diagnosis of stroke and experienced cardiorespiratory arrest without responding to resuscitation maneuvers, which led the doctor on duty to confirm her death.
The ministry announced the formation of a National Technical Committee to thoroughly analyze this case and conduct a medical audit to determine responsibilities for the alleged confirmation of death.
The elderly woman, who according to local media reportedly experienced catalepsy, remains intubated, and her diagnosis remains reserved in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital. The ministry assured that it would monitor the patient’s care.