Man in India declared dead by doctors later found breathing by family in morgue freezer

His condition has now improved.

Andrew Koay | November 22, 2021, 04:54 PM

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A man who was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital in India was later found alive by his family, after he spent the night in a morgue freezer.

According to The Independent, Srikesh Kumar, who had been hit by a motorcycle, was found in a critical condition in the city of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, and rushed to a private hospital where a doctor pronounced him dead.

The chief medical superintendent of Moradabad, Shiv Singh was quoted as saying that Kumar had arrived at 3am and was found to have no heartbeat, after multiple examinations.

He was later taken to a government medical facility for a post-mortem examination and then put inside a morgue freezer.

However, when his family arrived some seven hours later, Kumar's sister-in-law noticed that the body was moving, reported the Times of India.

A video circulated on social media appears to show the woman saying, "He's not at all dead, in fact far from it. How did this happen?"

"Look he wants to say something, he is breathing," she exclaims bewilderedly.

Another mishap

Addressing the mistake, Singh acknowledged that doctors sometimes faced difficulties in declaring an individual dead, but refrained from labelling the situation as one of negligence before an investigation.

"For example, there is 'suspended animation' where there is temporary cessation of many vital organs without death. It can lead to extraordinary situations," said Singh.

A doctor from the hospital who spoke to the Times of India added that the miraculous nature of Kumar's survival only came about due to one other mishap.

It pertained to the morgue freezer, where temperatures should be below 10 degrees to stem a cadaver's decay.

"However, there was an issue of power and the freezer switched on and off. It probably saved the man's life."

Kumar has since been transferred to a different health centre where his condition has improved, though he is yet to regain consciousness.

"Doctor's have assured us that he is out of danger," said the sister-in-law.

According to the Times of India, she added that the family will be lodging a complaint of negligence against the doctors who had initially declared Kumar dead.

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Top image from Times of India's Twitter page