'Dead' woman wakes up in refrigerated coffin, but dies 2 days later

After her family believed she had died, a woman was placed in a refrigerated coffin, only to be discovered alive the following day. 

However, the woman died two days later.

This incident occurred in a village in Hejian, Cangzhou, in China's Hebei province.

The woman, who was in her 70s, was said to be seriously ill and had suffered from cerebral thrombosis for over 10 years, according to Chinese news outlet iFeng.

A village official also told Jimu News that her cancer had spread throughout her body and doctors had informed her family that there was little more that could be done.

On Sept 8, the woman appeared to show no signs of life and her family presumed she was dead, Stomp reported.

She was placed in a coffin while waiting for relatives living further away to pay their respects.

The coffin was reportedly set to refrigeration mode rather than deep-freeze mode, according to the village official.

On the evening of Sept 9, her daughter-in-law heard faint groaning sounds coming from inside the coffin.

Upon opening the coffin, the family discovered that the elderly woman had regained signs of life.

The woman's relative told Jimu News that the woman was able to open her eyes on Sept 11 but remained weak and unable to eat or drink.

She reportedly died later that night and was buried on Sunday (Sept 13).

'Apparent death'

A village official told local media that the woman may have been in a state that resembled death, with her breathing and pulse becoming extremely weak.

The phenomenon has been described by local media as "apparent death", a condition in which a person's heartbeat and breathing become so faint that they may be mistakenly presumed dead. 

Several Chinese outlets cited a Health Times report explaining how doctors typically rely on several indicators when determining death, including the absence of a carotid pulse and spontaneous breathing, dilated pupils, signs of oxygen deprivation and a flat electrocardiogram.

The incident was brought to light when the woman's relative posted about it on Douyin on Sept 13, Stomp reported.

"A relative of mine from my hometown passed away, but after being placed in a refrigerated coffin for a day, [she] 'came back to life'," the post said. 

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laili.abdeen@asiaone.com