PURI: In a bizarre incident, an 86-year-old woman, presumed dead by her family, was found to be alive, moments before her funeral at Swargadwar here on Monday.
The woman, P Laxmi of Polsara in Ganjam, was brought by her family for the last rites during the afternoon hours.
However, when manager of the crematorium, Brajkishore Sahu went to inspect the body, he was shocked to see her alive, blinking her eyes. He immediately called an ambulance and she was taken to the district headquarters hospital (DHH).
Preliminary investigation revealed that when the family members brought Laxmi to the crematorium, they could not produce the death certificate. They said since the 86-year-old died at home, they did not have a death certificate.
“When the family failed to produce the death certificate, I went near the body for inspection. She was blinking. When I pressed my ear against her, I could hear her heartbeat. I immediately called an ambulance and shifted her to the DHH,” Sahu said.
Laxmi’s relative P Dharmendra said, she was seriously ill for six months. “This morning when she did not respond, we assumed she had passed away. We did not consult any doctor and brought her for cremation. Now, we will take all steps for her treatment,” he added.
Dr Mahabir Prasad Dash, the attending physician at the DHH, advised shifting her to ICU due to her critical condition.