A 52-year-old woman in Berhampur, India, astoundingly regained consciousness just before her cremation, after being perceived as dead due to severe burns. Bujji Aamma had suffered serious injuries, with burns covering over half of her body, after a house fire. She was promptly treated at MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
Aamma’s condition took a turn for the worse after she was discharged from the hospital. Her family, financially strained, was not able to seek additional medical assistance.
A week later, Aamma showed no signs of life, including breathing or eye movement. This led her husband, Sibaram Palo, 54, and their community to begin preparations for her cremation. “We believed she was dead and informed others in the locality to arrange a hearse van to transport the body to the cremation ground,” Palo told the Times of India.
As the funeral procession was underway, K Chiranjibi, a 50-year-old woman who was in the hearse with Aamma, stated that Aamma opened her eyes and responded to their words as they were nearly finished preparing the funeral pyre. The driver of the hearse, Khetrabashi Sahu, then had the unusual task of transporting a living Aamma back to her home.
This occurrence highlights a significant procedural lapse within the local community: the lack of a compulsory death certificate before performing last rites, which allowed for a premature declaration of death.
Cases like these, although uncommon, are not unique and have been reported in the U.S. An 82-year-old woman on Long Island, New York, woke up in February 2023 after being declared dead. Incidents like these have triggered investigations and demands for a review of the standards used in medical and legal death declarations.
Aamma underwent treatment at MKCG Medical College and Hospital. MKCG superintendent Suchitra Dash stated that it took approximately three hours for their staff to dress the burn wounds and provide the necessary medication to the patient.
