Over the weekend, a 50-year-old South African man found himself waking up inside a mortuary, screaming for help, which startled attendants who assumed he was a ghost.
His family had thought he was deceased after their attempts to rouse him on Saturday night failed, prompting them to reach out to a private morgue located in a rural area of the Eastern Cape.
The man spent nearly 24 hours inside the morgue before the two attendants returned and summoned an ambulance.
The identity of the man has not been revealed. He received treatment in the hospital for dehydration.
“Doctors observed him and determined that he was stable,” said Sizwe Kupelo, spokesperson for Eastern Cape health.
“Initially, the men fled in terror”
stated Sizwe Kupelo.
“He did not require any additional treatment.”
Mr. Kupelo mentioned that the man regained consciousness at 1700 local time (1500 GMT) on Sunday, urgently asking to be released from the cold morgue in Libode village, which startled the attendants present.
“Initially, the men fled in terror,” Mr. Kupelo remarked.
Officials have advised the public to reach out to doctors or emergency services to ensure proper pronouncement of death before contacting an undertaker.
“You start to wonder how many others have experienced similar fates in a morgue,” Mr. Kupelo said.
“It is vital to convey to all South Africans that it is extremely incorrect for them to decide on their own that someone has passed away,” he emphasized.
