19-6-2023 (QUITO) An elderly Ecuadorian woman who became an internet sensation after waking up inside a coffin during her own wake has now passed away for real, according to authorities. Bella Montoya, 76, was captured on video last week gasping for breath while two men tried to assist her. Her son, Gilbert Barbera, revealed that she had been desperately banging on the inside of the casket in an attempt to escape as her family mourned her.
Montoya had been wrongly declared dead on June 9th, and following her ordeal at the wake, she was kept in the hospital in the town of Babahoyo. However, the regional health department has now confirmed that she passed away on Friday from a stroke.
Barbera told local newspaper El Universo, “This time my mother really did die. My life will not be the same.” The Health Ministry has launched an investigation into how Montoya was erroneously declared dead the first time.
According to local news reports, Montoya suffered from a condition called catalepsy, which causes a person to lose sensation and consciousness, and their body becomes rigid. Catalepsy can sometimes be mistaken for death, and this appears to be what happened in Montoya’s case.
The video of Montoya’s awakening at her own wake quickly went viral on social media, prompting widespread shock and disbelief. However, her subsequent passing has left her family and loved ones in mourning once again. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accurate medical diagnosis and the potential consequences of errors in determining the state of a patient’s health.
