BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

‘Dead’ woman knocks on inside of coffin at wake: ‘It gave us all a fright’

(File: Getty)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NEXSTAR) — A 76-year-old woman who was declared dead at a hospital in Ecuador astonished her relatives by knocking on her coffin during her wake, and the incident has prompted a government investigation into the hospital.

Relatives left the coffin behind and rushed retired nurse Bella Montoya back to the hospital after the wake Friday in the central city of Babahoyo.

Montoya was declared dead on Friday at Hospital Martín Icaza de Babahoyo, according to local outlet El Comercio. She had been initially diagnosed with a cerebrovascular accident and doctors weren’t able to resuscitate her after she went into cardiorespiratory arrest, according to the Ministry of Public Health. The doctor on duty then pronounced her dead.

It wasn’t until hours later when relatives were holding a wake for Montoya that they realized she wasn’t dead.

“There were about 20 of us there,” said her son, Gilberto Barbera, according to the Associated Press. “After about five hours of the wake, the coffin started to make sounds. My mom was wrapped in sheets and hitting the coffin, and when we approached we could see that she was breathing heavily.”

Her son says it gave them all “a fright” when they heard strange noises. Though he and relatives rushed her back to the hospital Friday, she was still in serious condition Monday.

Health officials are currently investigating the incident and the hospital’s procedures when it comes to issuing death certificates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nexstar Media Wire

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

51°F Clear Feels like 51°
Wind
2 mph N
Humidity
66%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
46°F Clear skies. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
1 mph NNE
Precip
1%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous