A 15-year-old girl in Guatemala, identified as Yuleidy Ixcotoyac, has reportedly regained consciousness inside a coffin during her funeral, shocking relatives and mourners who had believed she was dead.
According to reports, the teenager collapsed while her father, Abraham Ixcotoyac, an evangelical pastor, was driving her to a medical centre.
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Her father reportedly checked for signs of breathing and a pulse but believed she had died after he could not detect either.
“I saw that she was no longer breathing and I couldn’t feel her pulse on her wrists. It was a very difficult situation for me,” he reportedly told local media, according to The Sun.
The family subsequently arranged a funeral without a doctor confirming her death or an official death certificate being issued, the report said.
About eight hours after the teenager reportedly collapsed, relatives and mourners gathered at the family home in El Jocote, a rural village in Guatemala, for a wake.
During the gathering, her mother, Lesvia Ríos, reportedly noticed movement as she leaned over the coffin to mourn her daughter.
“I kept saying she was alive; she wasn’t dead,” Ríos said, according to the report.
She explained that the family opened the coffin’s viewing window and saw the teenager moving before she suddenly sat up.
Footage circulating online reportedly shows Yuleidy, dressed in a pink T-shirt, moving inside the coffin before sitting upright as stunned mourners watched.
Family members then helped her out and offered her water, while people at the gathering reportedly shouted “hallelujah” in celebration.
Yuleidy reportedly said she experienced severe chest pain shortly before losing consciousness.
“My heart started hurting really badly, it felt heavy and then I blacked out, like I fainted,” she said.
Reports indicate that the teenager was conscious and recovering at home following the incident.
She also reportedly expressed gratitude to God for surviving the ordeal.
The incident has attracted attention on social media, where some users have described the teenager’s recovery as a miracle, while others have raised concerns about the circumstances in which her death was presumed.
However, the available report did not establish the medical cause of her collapse or explain why her family believed she had died without professional confirmation.
The incident also highlights the importance of obtaining urgent medical assistance when someone becomes unresponsive and ensuring that death is confirmed by an appropriately qualified professional.
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Further details about Yuleidy’s medical condition and the circumstances surrounding the incident were not immediately available.
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Mariam Balogun is a contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
