76-year-old Bella Montoya who was wrongly declared dead and surprised family members by knocking on her coffin during her funeral has died after seven days in intensive care, according to a BBC report.
Ecuador's health ministry said that Bella Montoya suffered a stroke after spending seven days in intensive care. The statement added that she had remained under "permanent surveillance" while at the hospital.
Speaking to a local newspaper, her son, Gilbert Barbera said, "This time my mother did die. My life will not be the same."
Ms Montoya died on June 16 and she was taken back to the same funeral home ahead of her burial at a public cemetery, local media reported.
According to local media reports, Ms Montoya suffered from a condition called catalepsy- where a person experiences a seizure, loss of consciousness, and the body becomes rigid.
On June 9, Ms Montoya was placed in a coffin and taken to her funeral after being declared dead. After almost 5 hours inside, the woman stunned her relatives by knocking on her coffin. She regained consciousness during the vigil. The relatives found her gasping for air.
In a statement, the ministry said that the woman went into cardiorespiratory arrest- a loss of breathing and heart function, and did not respond to resuscitation attempts. The doctor on duty confirmed her death.
Ms Montoya's son, Gilbert Rodolfo Balberan Montoya told local media that his mother was admitted at around 9 am and at noon the doctors declared her dead.
She was placed in a coffin for several hours. A video has gone viral on the internet which shows Ms Montoya lying in an open casket and breathing heavily. Paramedics are seen arriving and observing Ms Montoya before moving her onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.
