An elderly woman in northern China reportedly showed signs of life after spending a day in a refrigerated coffin, only to die hours later. The woman, who was in her 70s and from Hebei province, had been battling serious health problems for years.
She had suffered from cerebral thrombosis for more than a decade and was also living with advanced cancer, according to Chinese media reports.
She was then taken home, where her family cared for her during the final stage of her illness. The woman was reportedly kept in the refrigerated coffin rather than a deep-freeze setting. In such cases, breathing and the heartbeat can become exceptionally weak, while the person may enter a deep state of unconsciousness. This can make it difficult to determine whether someone has actually died without a proper medical assessment.
Doctors had reportedly told her family that her cancer could no longer be treated. A village official told local media that her condition may have been linked to what doctors describe as apparent death, when a person’s vital signs become extremely difficult to detect.
