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| 'Dead' woman found breathing in coffin | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| File photo of a coffin | File photo of a coffin |
| Mourners at the wake of an elderly Ecuadorean woman were startled to discover she was still alive. | |
| Bella Montoya, 76, was declared dead last week following a suspected stroke. | Bella Montoya, 76, was declared dead last week following a suspected stroke. |
| Five hours into her wake on Friday, relatives preparing to change her clothes ahead of the burial found her gasping for air. | Five hours into her wake on Friday, relatives preparing to change her clothes ahead of the burial found her gasping for air. |
| Ms Montoya is now back in hospital in intensive care, and Ecuador's health ministry has set up a committee to investigate the incident. | Ms Montoya is now back in hospital in intensive care, and Ecuador's health ministry has set up a committee to investigate the incident. |
| In a statement, the ministry said that the woman went into cardiorespiratory arrest - a loss of breathing and heart function - and did not respond to resuscitation attempts. | In a statement, the ministry said that the woman went into cardiorespiratory arrest - a loss of breathing and heart function - and did not respond to resuscitation attempts. |
| The doctor on duty confirmed her death. | The doctor on duty confirmed her death. |
| Her son, Gilber Rodolfo Balberán Montoya, was quoted by local media as saying that his mother had been "admitted around 09:00, and at noon a doctor told me [she] died". | Her son, Gilber Rodolfo Balberán Montoya, was quoted by local media as saying that his mother had been "admitted around 09:00, and at noon a doctor told me [she] died". |
| Ms Montoya was then placed in a coffin for several hours until she was seen by family members trying to breathe. | Ms Montoya was then placed in a coffin for several hours until she was seen by family members trying to breathe. |
| A video posted on social media showed her lying in an open casket and breathing heavily while several people crowded around her. | A video posted on social media showed her lying in an open casket and breathing heavily while several people crowded around her. |
| Paramedics are then seen arriving and observing Ms Montoya before moving her on to a stretcher and into an ambulance. | Paramedics are then seen arriving and observing Ms Montoya before moving her on to a stretcher and into an ambulance. |
| Now she is in intensive care in the same hospital where doctors declared her death. | Now she is in intensive care in the same hospital where doctors declared her death. |
| AFP news agency quoted Mr Balberán as saying: "Little by little, I am grasping what has happened. Now I only pray for my mother's health to improve. I want her alive and by my side." | AFP news agency quoted Mr Balberán as saying: "Little by little, I am grasping what has happened. Now I only pray for my mother's health to improve. I want her alive and by my side." |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Ecuador | Ecuador |