Back from the dead: Woman found breathing in coffin at own funeral

Mourners at the funeral of Bella Montoya were astonished to find her still alive having been pronounced dead due to a stroke. At the funeral parlour in Babahoyo, Ecuador, Bella’s coffin was opened to change her clothes for the ceremony but then she gasped for air. 

Ms Montoya was 76 at the time of her suspected death and but as she struggled for air she was seen to move and open her eyes. She had been sealed inside for over four hours, so the family were unsurprisingly shocked to see her alive.

Not least her son Gilbert Balberán, who was quoted as saying by the BBC: “My mum started to move her left hand, to open her eyes, her mouth; she struggled to breathe.”

10 News First posted a video of the shocking incident on Twitter, saying:

An Ecuadorian woman has risen from the 'dead' after almost being buried alive.

Shocking video footage shows the moment 76-year-old Bella Montoya was rescued from a coffin after being stuck inside for over four hours. Her family discovered her as they were preparing to change her… pic.twitter.com/JfjqSUykBi

— 10 News First (@10NewsFirst) June 13, 2023

She was put on oxygen at the hospital where her heart remained stable and she was shown to be reacting to stimulus as a doctor pinched her hand.

Mr Balberán had taken his mother to the hospital in the morning, and around noon was informed that she had died of a heart attack induced by a stroke. He had even received a death certificate confirming all the details.

Although the outcome was a relief for Bella Montoya’s family, there was no doubt needless confusion and heartbreak surrounding the incident too.

The worrying occurrence prompted an investigation by Ecuador’s health ministry into the circumstances surrounding Montoya’s misdiagnosis and premature declaration of death, in the hope that incidents like this can be minimised.