Shocking scenes unfolded at a wake, when mourners were astounded to witness their presumed deceased relative suddenly regain consciousness in her coffin.

Bella Montoya, 76, had been declared dead, but astonishingly awoke just before her burial in Babahoyo, Ecuador. Startling video footage captures the moment medics rushed to Montoya’s aid upon realizing she was still alive. Noticing signs of breathing, she was gently removed from the casket and carefully placed on a stretcher.

Gilbert Balberán, Montoya’s son, said that the wake occurred only four hours after his mother was pronounced dead. A medical examiner had issued a death certificate, citing cardiorespiratory arrest as the cause. Balberán explained this arrest had induced catalepsy, a condition marked by body rigidity, decreased sensitivity to pain, and reduced bodily functions, including breathing. Believing Montoya had succumbed to her condition, hospital staff declared her dead.

Montoya was treated at the same hospital that prematurely declared her dead. Although she hung on to life for a week, she passed away and was buried in the same cemetery.

While Balberán attributes the incident to a “miracle from God,” he concedes he’s struggling to accept the reality of the situation. As a result, Ecuador’s Ministry of Health has dispatched a technical team to investigate the baffling issuance of the inaccurate death certificate.

This incident, however, isn’t unprecedented. Last year, relatives of a three-year-old Mexican girl were stunned to observe condensation on the glass window of her coffin during a funeral viewing. Subsequent checks revealed a pulse, confirming the child was alive, though she sadly later died in the hospital.