A 76-year-old woman from Ecuador has astonished her relatives by knocking on her own coffin during her wake, leading to a government investigation into the hospital responsible. The incident occurred in the central city of Babahoyo, where retired nurse Bella Montoya had been declared dead at a local hospital. After hearing strange sounds emanating from the coffin, her shocked family rushed her back to the hospital, leaving the funeral behind. The Ecuadorian Health Ministry has launched an investigation into the doctors involved and formed a technical committee to review the hospital’s procedures for issuing death certificates.
Montoya was initially admitted to the hospital with suspected stroke symptoms and cardiopulmonary arrest. Despite resuscitation efforts, a doctor on duty pronounced her dead when she failed to respond. The family was given identity documents and a death certificate. However, during the wake, which had been underway for about five hours, the family heard the startling sounds coming from the coffin. They discovered that Montoya was alive, as she was breathing heavily and hitting the coffin from the inside. She was promptly rushed back to the hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
The incident has gained widespread attention in Ecuador, with local media celebrating the woman’s “resurrection.” The Ecuadorian Health Ministry has taken swift action, forming a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding Montoya’s premature declaration of death. Meanwhile, Montoya’s son, Gilberto Barbera, remains hopeful for his mother’s recovery, despite doctors providing a guarded prognosis. Similar cases have been reported in the past, including in the United States, where individuals have been mistakenly pronounced dead. The family is now focused on Montoya’s care and praying for her health to improve.
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