No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeLatin AmericaEcuadorTragic Outcome: Woman in Viral Wake Video Passes Away for Real

Tragic Outcome: Woman in Viral Wake Video Passes Away for Real

An elderly Ecuadoran woman who woke up inside a coffin at her own wake — sparking a viral video, of course — has now died for real, authorities said Sunday.

A video posted on social media last week shows Bella Montoya, 76, in her open coffin breathing heavily while two men assist her. Her son, Gilbert Barbera, said she had been banging on the inside of the casket, desperate to get out as her relatives mourned her.

She had been erroneously declared dead on June 9.

After the ordeal at the wake, Montoya was kept in the hospital in the town of Babahoyo. She died of a stroke on Friday, the regional health department said.

“This time my mother really did die,” Barbera was quoted as saying by the newspaper El Universo. “My life will not be the same.”

The Health Ministry has ordered a probe into how she was declared dead in error the first time.

Local news reports said Montoya suffered from a condition called catalepsy, in which a person loses sensation and consciousness and the body becomes rigid.

Popular Articles

Costa Rica Wildlife Moments from Monkeys to Crocodiles

How wildlife behaves depends on the circumstances of the interaction. Everybody wants to go for a hike and see wild animals with their very...

Panama Allows First Quantum to Export Copper Despite Court Shutdown

The President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, said on Thursday that he authorized a Canadian-owned mine, which was shut down by the courts in...

Costa Rica Exchange Rate Hits Historic Low, Central Bank Steps In

The exchange rate in Costa Rica has plummeted to a historic low, with the dollar reaching ₡499.90 on Thursday, March 13, in the Foreign...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles