Guatemalan teen revives after being placed in a coffin during a wake
A 15-year-old girl in Guatemala was thought dead, put in a coffin and then woke up during the family’s vigil.
According to statements to a Guatemalan TV channel, a 15-year-old girl felt intense chest pain and fainted, after which her father believed she had stopped breathing and had no pulse. He abandoned the plan to reach a hospital and instead obtained a coffin from a local funeral home, returning home with the body. Family members, neighbors and church members assembled for a traditional wake in El Jocote.
During the vigil, the girl suddenly revived, stirring and standing up, prompting her mother to describe the moment as the girl “waking up”. The incident was captured on video and spread online, while health authorities have not yet commented on the cause of her collapse and recovery.
Why it matters
The case highlights potential gaps in emergency medical response and cultural practices in rural Guatemala.
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