The incident unfolded in Babahoyo when a hospital doctor pronounced Bella Montoya, aged 76, dead after suspecting she had suffered a stroke.
Following the doctor’s declaration, Montoya’s lifeless body was placed in a coffin and transported to a funeral parlor. Friends and family members held a solemn vigil as they prepared for her planned burial.
However, nearly five hours later, when they opened the coffin to change Montoya’s clothes in preparation for the funeral, they were shocked when she gasped for air.
In a heart-stopping moment, Gilbert Balberán, Montoya’s son, described the surreal experience of witnessing his mother return to life. “My mum started to move her left hand, to open her eyes, her mouth; she struggled to breathe,” he recounted.
Video footage captured by one of the mourners depicted Montoya lying in the open coffin, visibly struggling for breath. The situation was further exacerbated by the delay in the arrival of an ambulance, which the attendees had called.
Minutes later, firefighters arrived at the scene and carefully lifted Montoya onto a stretcher, promptly rushing her back to the hospital where she had been initially declared dead.
Providing an update on Montoya’s condition, her son disclosed that she was admitted to the intensive care unit but showed signs of responsiveness. “My mum is on oxygen, her heart is stable. The doctor pinched her hand, and she reacted; they tell me that’s good because it means she is reacting little by little,” he shared with Ecuadorean media.
Mr. Balberán further revealed that he had taken his mother to the hospital at approximately 09:00, only to be informed by a doctor around noon that she had passed away. A death certificate had been issued, indicating that Montoya had suffered cardiopulmonary arrest following a stroke.
This bewildering incident has left the community in awe as they grapple with the miraculous resurgence of Bella Montoya, who defied the expectations of her premature demise.
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