‘Dead’ Indian woman, 52, comes ‘back to life’ in a hearse moments before her own cremation after her husband declared she had died in an accident

A woman thought to be dead woke up in her hearse moments before she was about to be cremated.

Days earlier, 52-year-old Bujji Aamma from Berhampur, India, had been severely burnt in a fire at home on February 1.

She was taken to MKCG Medical College and Hospital for treatment, with burns covering half her body. She returned home, but remained in a very bad state.

Due to the family’s poor finances, they were unable to get her in to another hospital for further treatment – and a few days later, on Monday, she didn’t open her eyes.

Aamma’s husband, Sibaram Palo, believing she had died, arranged for her to be taken to the cremation ground in a hearse. 

Due to the family’s poor finances, locals donated money to help pay for the cremation ceremony (Stock image)

He told Times of India: ‘We thought she was dead and informed others in the locality to arrange a hearse van to carry the body to the cremation ground.’

One woman, K Chiranjibi, who accompanied Aamma in the hearse said they had almost completed assembling the funeral pyre when she opened her eyes.

Chiranjibi said: ‘Initially we were scared as we had never seen such an incident, though we had heard some stories.’

The driver of the hearse, Khetrabashi Sahu, who originally collected Aamma’s ‘body’ from her home at 9am, was called to collect her, living and breathing, from the cremation ground only half an hour later.

She was taken home in the same hearse.

According to the crematorium, locals do not need to provide a death certificate to perform the last rites of a family member. 

Last rites are hugely important in Indian culture and greatly tied to the natural environment. 

When the person dies, the body is placed on a grass mat or on the floor. This symbolises the death happening within the arms of the earth. 

A special water is poured into the mouth of the dead, candles are lit and a rice bowl is placed near the body.

The body should be then taken to crematorium with the eyes covered.

Thankfully, the family of Bujji Aamma evidently missed this detail, allowing them to see her open them.

This isn’t the first time somebody has woken up from the ‘dead’ in India.

Last year, in October, a newborn baby was believed to be a stillborn.

The incident happened in the city of Silchar.

The father, Ratan Das, 29, was told the news at the private hospital just after his wife had given birth.

A death certificate was issued and it was only when they reached the crematorium that the newborn baby started crying.