'Dead' girl wakes up at own funeral

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - A 3-year-old girl, who was clinically pronounced dead woke on Sunday during her funeral service in a church in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, police said.

Police Senior Inspector Heidil Teelan, Aurora police chief, confirmed the incident, citing reports from the personnel he dispatched to verify the case at Barangay Bayabas.

Teelan declined to name the victim and her family for their protection. 

A video footage uploaded to an online social network went viral online, showing the parents of the girl removing her from her wooden coffin while mourners appeared to be in the state of commotion.

Teelan said while they were not the proper authority to confirm the medical case, but based on the accounts of the child’s parents, the 3-year old girl experienced severe fever for days and was brought to the clinic in the town for medical attention last Friday.

“During that time, the attending clinic personnel and physician confirmed that the young patient had no more pulse and was clinically dead last Saturday morning about 9 a.m.,” Teelan said.

Teelan said this prompted the child’s family to bring her home and prepare her for funeral service the following day in the church. 

Teelan said based on the accounts of the residents who joined the funeral service, one of the neighbors who removed the cover of the coffin to arrange the supposed remains saw the head of the girl move.

“This prompted them to check and confirmed the girl had pulse and was alive,” Teelan said.

He said the parents of the girl immediately gave her water and initially brought her to the clinic for check-up. The family then reportedly brought the girl back home.

“We really can not make confirmation on the status of the girl but based on the observation of the police personnel I deployed it appear the girl remained in a state of comatose in their house,” Teelan said. 

He said nurses were also sent to the house of the young girl to assist the family which is now seeking medical consultation to a well-equipped hospital in the province.