In a surprising turn of events, Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple located on the outskirts of Bangkok in Nonthaburi province, shared a video on Facebook that left many astonished. The footage captured a woman resting in a white coffin placed in the back of a pick-up truck, with her subtle arm and head movements puzzling the temple staff.

According to Pairat Soodthoop, who manages general and financial affairs at the temple, the woman, aged 65, had been brought by her brother from Phitsanulok province with the intention of carrying out her cremation.

However, what followed was unexpected—a faint knocking sound emanated from the coffin.

“I was taken aback,” Pairat recounted to The Associated Press on Monday. “I requested that the coffin be opened, and everyone was taken by surprise.”

He described the startling moment, saying, “I saw her eyes opening slightly and she was tapping on the coffin’s side. It seemed she had been trying to get attention for quite some time.”

According to Pairat, the brother said his sister had been bedridden for about two years, when her health deteriorated and she became unresponsive, appearing to stop breathing two days ago.

The brother then placed her in a coffin and made the 500-kilometre journey to a hospital in Bangkok, to which the woman had previously expressed a wish to donate her organs.

The hospital refused to accept the brother’s offer as he didn’t have an official death certificate, Pairat said.

His temple offers a free cremation service, which is why the brother approached them on Sunday, but was also refused due to the missing document.

The temple manager said that while he was explaining how to get a death certificate when they heard the knocking. They then assessed her and sent her to a nearby hospital.

The abbot said the temple would cover her medical expenses, according to Pairat.