In a shocking turn of events, mourners gathered at the wake of Bella Montoya, a 76-year-old woman from Ecuador, were startled to discover that she was still alive.
Initially declared dead by a hospital doctor in the city of Babahoyo following a suspected stroke, Montoya had been placed in a coffin and taken to a funeral parlour for the vigil before her planned burial, where video footage has showed the startling moment play out.
Her son, Gilbert Balberán, recounted the harrowing moment five hours later when his mother showed signs of life, saying, “My mum started to move her left hand, to open her eyes, her mouth; she struggled to breathe.”
According to him, Montoya was admitted to intensive care but remained responsive. He added, “My mum is on oxygen, her heart is stable. The doctor pinched her hand and she reacted, they tell me that’s good because it means she is reacting little by little.”
Firefighters had attended the scene and had to lift her onto a stretcher and take her to the same hospital where she had been declared dead.
In response to this bizarre incident, Ecuador’s health ministry has established a committee to investigate the matter.
Balberán revealed that he had even been issued a death certificate stating that his mother had died of cardiopulmonary arrest following a stroke.
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