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A 72-year-old woman in the Indian city of Chennai, who was thought by her family to be dead, returned home alive on Sep. 22 following her burial -- unsurprisingly, to the surprise of everyone.

According to the Times of India, S Chandra was presumed to have died after being hit by a train on Sep. 20.

Her son, Vadivelu, had identified the body as that of his mother's on account of the body wearing the same sari, The New Indian Express further reported.

In addition, the body's face had been damaged beyond all recognition.

What exactly happened?

On Monday, Sep. 19, Chandra told her family that she was going to visit a temple about 22km from her house and that she would return soon.

However, she did not return as she decided to visit a few other temples in the locality instead, the Times of India reported.

Her son subsequently filed a missing person complaint with the authorities.

On Sep. 20, Vadivelu received information from his relatives about an elderly woman who had been run over by a train.

He also received a call from the authorities to head to a hospital to identify the body.

The deputy superintendent of the Egmore Railway police was quoted by The New Indian Express as saying, "The deceased had worn the same saree as his mother and since the face was damaged beyond recognition, it was confirmed the body was that of Chandra based on identification marks."

The body was then handed over to the family and buried following a funeral.

Mother returns home while relatives in mourning

On Sep. 22, Chandra returned home while her relatives had gathered at her house to mourn.

Apart from the shock of her family, she was also reportedly surprised by the sight of posters with her obituary in the streets around her house.

As for the buried body, it has been exhumed by the police and returned to the hospital.

Further investigation and identification of the body are ongoing.

Top photos via Times of India