Picture courtesy of ThaiRath

 

A hospital in Nonthaburi has clarified that a 65-year-old woman believed to have died and then revived inside her coffin had never experienced respiratory or cardiac arrest, with doctors confirming her primary condition was a severe drop in blood sugar. The incident caused shock at Wat Rat Prakong Tham in Bang Yai District on 23 November 2025, when temple staff preparing her body for cremation heard knocking from inside the coffin and found her moving. She was immediately transferred to Bang Yai Hospital, where she received treatment and was later deemed stable enough to return home.

 

The case began when the woman’s brother, Mr Mongkol Sakunku, transported the body of his sister, Mrs Chonthirasan Sakunku, from Phitsanulok in the early hours of the morning. Family members and the village head had checked her on Saturday and believed she had died after she stopped breathing, leading the village head to sign the required documentation. Mr Mongkol said he needed to act quickly because his sister had pledged to donate her body to Chulalongkorn Hospital and her remains could not be preserved with formalin.

 

After departing Phitsanulok at 03:00 and arriving at Chulalongkorn Hospital around 10:00, he was told the donation could not be accepted without a death certificate and was advised to file a report at Yannawa Police Station. Officers there informed him that the matter must be handled in the area where the death occurred, prompting him to bring the body to Wat Rat Prakong Tham to proceed with cremation, as the temple offers the service free of charge. It was during preparations for the ceremony that temple staff heard sounds from the coffin and discovered the woman was alive.

 

Bang Yai Hospital later contacted Mr Mongkol at 20:00 on 23 November to inform him that his sister could return home to recover, as tests showed no signs of past respiratory or cardiac arrest. Doctors confirmed her main issue had been low blood sugar, which had been treated. However, when the rescue team brought her back to the temple to be transported home to Phitsanulok, the abbot requested that she remain for further recovery before travelling and she was returned to Bang Yai Hospital.

 

ThaiRath reported that Mr Mongkol said he felt calm upon learning his sister was alive, noting that he had long experience caring for elderly individuals. Temple official Mr Phairat Sudthup said this was the first time he had ever witnessed such an event, despite having performed thousands of cremation rites. He described how staff immediately rushed the woman to hospital once they realised she was breathing and responsive.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Doctors confirmed the woman had not experienced cardiac or respiratory arrest, but suffered from low blood sugar.

• Temple staff discovered she was alive after hearing knocking from inside her coffin during cremation preparations.

• The woman remains under medical care after the abbot advised delaying her return home to Phitsanulok.

 

Original Story

 

Elderly-woman-found-alive-at-her-funeral-in-Nonthaburi

 

 

 Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Thairath 2025-11-25

 

 

The story is getting stranger and stranger... How can tell someone deceased if you are not a doctor?? The head of the village and family memebers declared her death and the head of the village gave the documents.. In fact it shows how easy it is to fraud..A docto should only be able give a certificate of death and the Amphur should give the needed papers, not someone in the village.

Besides that I know that it is not so easy to give your body to science.. There are papers and a registration needed...Maybe money is involved??

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

How can tell someone deceased if you are not a doctor?? The head of the village and family memebers declared her death and the head of the village gave the documents.

I am curious about this also... Normally a doctor should be the one who declares death by examination. The way this story reads, if i look dead they can bring my body to the head of the village and get a death declaration. Then take that to the police and get it legal. What is someone drugged me enough to make me unable to wake? 

This reads like if you look dead and do not wake up, you are dead. Imagine if she had not woken until being cremated. 

There should be laws about this in Thailand. 

Some may suspect the brother wanted his sister dead for some reason, I couldn't possibly comment.

13 hours ago, thesetat said:

Imagine if she had not woken until being cremated. 

There should be laws about this in Thailand. 

There are.

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

There are.

Sorry... i meant laws that were followed and adhered to.. 

So why was she pronounced dead?

This is Thailand where, as so often, different rules apply. My Thai wife tells me it is perfectly normal for others than a doctor to declare someone is dead, especially in rural areas. Looking and seeming to be dead is enough. This case isn't the first and it won't be the last.

On 11/25/2025 at 4:33 AM, Georgealbert said:

The case began when the woman’s brother, Mr Mongkol Sakunku, transported the body of his sister, Mrs Chonthirasan Sakunku, from Phitsanulok in the early hours of the morning. Family members and the village head had checked her on Saturday and believed she had died after she stopped breathing, leading the village head to sign the required documentation. Mr Mongkol said he needed to act quickly because his sister had pledged to donate her body to Chulalongkorn Hospital and her remains could not be preserved with formalin.

 

After departing Phitsanulok at 03:00 and arriving at Chulalongkorn Hospital around 10:00, he was told the donation could not be accepted without a death certificate and was advised to file a report at Yannawa Police Station. Officers there informed him that the matter must be handled in the area where the death occurred, prompting him to bring the body to Wat Rat Prakong Tham to proceed with cremation, as the temple offers the service free of charge. It was during preparations for the ceremony that temple staff heard sounds from the coffin and discovered the woman was alive.

Maybe they need to get some formal training before thinking they have the abiliity to declare someone is dead and start signing documents.

reminded me of this one:

 

 

6 hours ago, thesetat said:

Sorry... i meant laws that were followed and adhered to.. 

They were - both the hospital she was first taken to and the temple, both refused to proceed until there was an official death certificate.

 

At the temple, it was only after having already refused to proceed with the cremation, that sounds were subsequently heard coming from the coffin. 

 

So as far as I can tell, proper procedures were followed.

Knock knock.

Who is there?

Grandma.

Stop the cremation!

Rural area unqualified people making life or death decisions.  

From a video called Nine minutes of one liners.

My wife and I couldn't decide whether to have grandma buried or cremated.

In the end we decided to let her live.