A woman in her 70s in China's Hebei province was placed in a coffin after being presumed dead, was found alive a day later when her daughter-in-law heard faint moaning from inside, briefly regained partial consciousness two days after that and died the same evening, according to accounts confirmed by her family and village officials. Medical staff said she may have been in a state of suspended animation in which vital signs were so faint that she appeared to have died.
The case occurred in a village in Hejian, part of Cangzhou in Hebei province, according to the South China Morning Post and other foreign media reports on the 23rd. On Sept. 8, the woman, who had long suffered from cerebral thrombosis and whose cancer had spread throughout her body, showed no apparent signs of life, and her family concluded that she had died and placed her in a refrigerated coffin to preserve the body. The case came to light the following evening, on the 9th, when her daughter-in-law heard faint moaning from inside the coffin.
Medical staff had determined that the woman's cancer had progressed beyond treatment. Her family had moved her home to prepare for her final hours. A village official said the coffin had been running in refrigeration mode rather than full freezing.
After the daughter-in-law raised the alarm, the family immediately opened the coffin and took the woman out. On Sept. 11, after relatives from out of town had all arrived, she partially regained consciousness and opened her eyes, according to the accounts. Her condition remained critical, however, and she could not take water or food on her own. Her condition deteriorated again that evening and she died. The funeral was held on Sept. 13.
Local medical staff described the case as a state of suspended animation, in which metabolism drops sharply and breathing and pulse become almost undetectable. In such a state, a patient falls into a deep coma that is difficult to distinguish from death. Experts stressed that strict medical standards must be followed when death is pronounced.
As the case spread online, some questioned whether it was true, but bereaved relatives and village residents confirmed the account. One internet user said the experience must have been agonizing for the woman, while another said the family should have obtained an official death certificate from a hospital first.
