After her husband discovered her unresponsive in bed, a woman was pronounced dead by the coroner and was being prepared for burial. However, before she could be placed in a coffin, morticians were shocked to find that she was actually alive.

The horrifying tale from the Czech Republic unfolded when an 88-year-old woman, who was thought to be dead, showed signs of life in her coffin.

According to Blesk.cz, the husband of the woman thought to be deceased called the Pilsen emergency services to potentially help his wife.

The husband told the emergency dispatcher that “she didn’t move, she didn’t breathe,” according to the report.

When paramedics arrived, they confirmed the woman’s death, and the coroners were dispatched to the apartment.

The coroner also confirmed the woman’s death, and undertakers were called to move the body into the coffin.

According to the husband, the workers were in the process of moving her to the coffin when they realized she was still breathing. The unexpected discovery occurred in the apartment hallway as they were about to take her away for burial.

An ambulance arrived shortly after, and the woman was transported to the hospital.

While this may seem like something out of a horror story, this rare medical occurrence has happened before.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, it’s known as the Lazarus Effect.

Named after the biblical story of Jesus raising Lazarus back from the dead, this usually occurs after CPR ends.

Typically, this happens after a cardiac arrest occurs and CPR is administered to the patient.

This medical phenomenon occurs after the patient is clinically pronounced dead.

Some time later, the patient will begin to show signs of life and must continue to show these signs for more than a few seconds.

According to the National Institutes of Health, there have been 74 confirmed cases in the U.S. from 1982-2022. 

It is still unknown how or why the Lazarus Effect happens.