A 76-year-old Indian woman whose family thought had died from COVID-19 opened her eyes and began crying moments before her body was cremated.
The Septuagenarian, Shakuntala Gaikwad from Baramati, was already on a funeral bier when she woke up minutes before her cremation.
India Today reported that it was the cry of the victim that alerted and shocked her bereaved family members.
Gaikwad identified had tested positive for the coronavirus last week, but her current condition is unknown.
But when her condition deteriorated, family members drove her to a Silver Jubilee Hospital on May 10 where they were unable to secure a bed because all the wards were full.
While arrangements were on to secure a bed for her in a private vehicle, the 76-year-old became unconscious, leading the family to believe that she had passed away.
The family took her back home and started preparing for cremation, but just before the funeral bier was about to be set alight, Gaikwad opened her eyes and began crying.
A local policeman and relative, Santosh Gaikwad, confirmed the incident had taken place.
After she woke up, the woman was taken back to the hospital for further treatment by Dr. Sadanand Kale, the founder of Silver Jubilee Hospital.
India is still in the midst of a devastating second coronavirus wave. It is reporting record-breaking new cases and deaths every other day as people are struggling to find hospital beds, oxygen, or medical treatment.
The country has reported more than 24 million cases and more than 270,000 deaths so far, according to a tracker by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say actual numbers could be five to 10 times higher.
