A Miraculous Discovery at the Temple
In an event that seems drawn from a thriller, a 65-year-old Thai woman was found alive inside her coffin, moments before her cremation was due to begin. The astonishing incident occurred on Sunday at the Wat Rat Prakongtham temple in Nonthaburi, on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Temple staff, who were preparing for the service, noticed movement from the coffin. Upon hearing faint knocking sounds from within, they made the swift decision to open it. To their utter shock, they discovered Chonthirat Sakulkoo breathing and lightly tapping on the wooden interior. The abbot immediately halted the proceedings and arranged for her to be rushed to hospital.
A Long Journey Based on a Tragic Error
The chain of events began when Chonthirat’s brother, Mongkol Sakulkoo, found her unresponsive at their home in Phitsanulok province the previous Saturday. Having been bedridden for two years with declining health, relatives and local officials believed she had died.
The village headman signed paperwork for a coffin donation, a common local practice. However, this document is not a formal death certificate, which is required by Thai law for hospitals to accept a body. Honouring his sister's wish to donate her organs, Mr Mongkol embarked on a 500km journey to Bangkok, arriving at Chulalongkorn University Hospital.
Without a doctor having certified the death, the hospital refused to accept the body and directed him to obtain an autopsy report. With concerns about decomposition growing, Mr Mongkol instead took his sister to Wat Rat Prakongtham for a free cremation.
Wider Implications and a Stable Recovery
As temple staff explained to the family that an official death certificate was still needed, the faint knocking was heard. Pairat Sudthup, the temple treasurer, described the moment of discovery. "I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled," he said. "I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time."
Doctors at Bang Yai Hospital later confirmed that Ms Chonthirat had not suffered cardiac arrest. Instead, she was suffering from extreme hypoglycaemia, a severe drop in blood sugar that can cause a deep unresponsiveness mimicking death. Her condition stabilised quickly after treatment.
This extraordinary case has captivated Thailand and ignited a debate about potential gaps in end-of-life procedures. It highlights the dangers of relying on non-medical declarations of death. Mr Pairat, who has supervised thousands of cremations, stated he had never witnessed anything like it. Footage of the incident was verified by authorities, confirming the sequence of events. Ms Chonthirat remains in a stable condition as her family prepares for her return home.
