Woman Starts Knocking on Own Coffin Before Her Cremation

Temple staff in Thailand were left stunned when a woman believed to be dead began moving inside her coffin just before she was to be cremated. Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in Nonthaburi province outside Bangkok, shared a video on its Facebook page showing the 65-year-old woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, faintly shifting her arms and head as staff looked on in disbelief.

Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, told the Associated Press that the woman’s brother had driven her more than 300 miles from Phitsanulok after believing she had passed away. According to him, she had been bedridden for two years and appeared to stop breathing two days earlier. He placed her in a coffin and brought her to a Bangkok hospital because she had previously expressed a desire to donate her organs.

The hospital refused, explaining that a death certificate was required before they could proceed. The brother then went to the temple, which offers free cremation services, but was again told they needed official documentation. Pairat said he was in the middle of explaining how to obtain the certificate when a faint knocking sound came from inside the coffin.

“When we opened it, she slowly opened her eyes and tapped the side again,” he said. “She must have been trying to get our attention for a while.”

Temple staff quickly assessed her condition and arranged for her to be taken to a nearby hospital. According to Pairat, the abbot has pledged that the temple will cover her medical expenses.