A community in Guatemala was shocked when a teenage girl they reportedly thought was dead woke up inside her own coffin.
Fifteen-year-old Yuleidy Ixcotoyac passed out while she was in the car with her father who was driving her to a hospital, news.com.au reported Tuesday.
The teen had reportedly been having chest pains when the incident happened Saturday, and her father, Pastor Abraham Ixcotoyac, checked her pulse and breathing after he stopped their vehicle.
He claimed he could not detect any signs of life, so he believed she was dead and decided not continue the journey to the hospital. Reports said the family never received a confirmed diagnosis or death certificate for the girl and decided to proceed with her funeral which took place eight hours later, according to WION.
Burying someone soon after they die is customary in Guatemala, therefore, her family bought a coffin and placed her inside of it.
However, everyone was shocked when something incredible happened at the family’s home in El Jocote. While looking at her daughter in the casket, the girl’s mother said she saw her move and insisted that she was not dead as everyone believed.
“When I was crying on top of her casket, we opened the window, and she was moving, she was waking up, and suddenly she sat up,” the woman recalled.
Video footage showed the moment the girl was seen sitting up with friends and family around her. One person held a cup to her mouth while others clapped and shouted, “Hallelujah!”
Following the harrowing ordeal and nearly being buried alive, Yuleidy is now recovering at home.
“My heart started hurting really badly, it felt heavy and then I blacked out, like I fainted,” she told reporters.
Social media users shared their thoughts on the reports, one person writing, “And that is why it is called a ‘Wake,’” while someone else said, “There are a few steps missing here before the wake? lol.”
According to the Britannica website, the term “wake” refers to an ancient religious practice:
A wake is a religious rite that traditionally involves mourners staying awake to watch over the body of a deceased person the night before the person’s burial. The term wake has its roots in ancient customs, particularly in the British Isles. The original purpose of a wake was rooted in the belief that evil spirits might harm or even steal the body of the deceased. By staying awake and keeping watch, family and friends could protect the body from such malevolent forces. The Anglo-Saxons referred to this custom as lich-wake, with lich meaning corpse.
The teenager reportedly said she “thanks God” she is alive after the incident.