Woman mistakenly declared 'dead' wakes up in coffin before being buried

An 88-year-old woman narrowly avoided being buried alive when she "woke up" during her own funeral preparations, after funeral workers in Pilsen, Czechia, noticed she was not deceased.

The frightening incident emerged in Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic) when the elderly woman didn't respond to her partner's efforts to wake her.

In a panic, he called for emergency services; however, she was later declared legally dead by a coroner, as reported by the Czech news outlet Blesk.

• Mom shoots child molester she ‘found trying to rape her 12-year-old daughter 
• TSA is confiscating popular travel accessory unannounced at airport checkpoints 

Funeral employees began their grim task of preparing her body for interment, only to be shocked when they discovered signs that she was very much alive.

Various accounts indicate the senior showed unmistakable signs of life—some say she opened her eyes while in the coffin, and others allege that she was noticed breathing, prompting the funeral staff to summon help. Once confirmed alive, she was promptly transported to a hospital, and she is reportedly recovering well.

Despite the narrow escape from an unimaginable fate, the ordeal continues as authorities have launched a police investigation to discern how such a grave error occurred, scrutinizing the coroner's actions—or lack thereof—regarding the woman's care.

The company that the coroner belonged to has apologised and insisted there will be consequences for their actions, however no further details have been given about what action may be taken.

An ambulance spokesman, Martin Štpán said: "Our operations centre received a call in the early morning hours, during which the operator proceeded in accordance with the valid recommendations of the professional society and the methodology for situations related to the death of a patient." He announced, "Following this procedure, the entire incident was handed over to the coroner."

However, after funeral workers spotted that the woman was breathing, "the operations centre immediately dispatched emergency medical services to the scene."

Štpán then concluded: "The woman's basic life functions were ensured on site and she was subsequently transported to a medical facility."

A spokeswoman for the police, Michaela Raindlová, also weighed in and said that they were "dealing with the reported death of an elderly woman, but it was subsequently discovered that she was alive."

"We are examining the circumstances of the case. The legal qualification has not yet been determined," the spokesperson added.