Woman About To Be Buried Bangs On Coffin At Her Own Funeral To Alert Family She's Still Alive

Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find distressing

A woman who was about to be buried at her funeral after being pronounced dead banged on the lid of her coffin to let her family members know she was alive.

On 26 April, the family of Rosa Isabel Cespedes Callaca, whose age is currently unknown, had gathered in the city of Lambayeque, Peru, to attend her funeral. She had been pronounced dead after being involved in an accident on the Chiclayo-Picsi road.

Her relatives had been carrying her coffin through the cemetery ready for burial when, much to their shock, they heard noises from inside the wooden box. When they opened the coffin, they found Rosa with her eyes open and showing obvious vital signs.

Here's the moment Rosa's family realised she was alive:

Cemetery caretaker Juan Segundo Cajo said of the shocking incident: "[She] opened her eyes and was sweating. I immediately went to my office and called the police."

Rosa remained in her coffin as she was taken to the nearby Referential Hospital Ferrenafe, where medics confirmed she did indeed have vital signs, albeit very low ones.

Although her condition slightly improved after being hooked up to a life support machine, Rosa sadly passed away a couple of hours later.

Understandably, Rosa's relatives were left outraged over the upsetting incident and over the fact she had been declared dead in the first place and handed over for the funeral.

An unnamed aunt said: "We want to know why my niece reacted yesterday, when we were taking her to be buried. We have the videos in which she pushes and touches the coffin."

The family has since speculated that Rosa was, in fact, in a coma when she was originally pronounced dead.

The police are now investigating the incident and are working to ascertain whether staff at the Lambayeque Regional Hospital – where she was first treated – disconnected her, pronounced her dead and sent her to the morgue without proper review.

Rosa's brother-in-law tragically died from the serious injuries he sustained in the same road accident and her three nephews, who were travelling with them, are still in hospital and in critical condition.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677 

Or if you've been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can speak in confidence about where to get help from Mind free on 0300 123 3393, 9am–6pm Monday to Friday