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22nd Nov 2021

Man declared dead found alive after night in morgue freezer

Charlie Herbert

He had been pronounced dead after being hit by a motorbike

A man who was thought to be dead was found alive after spending the night in a morgue freezer.

Srikesh Kumar was hit by a motorbike in Moradabad, east of New Delhi, and was found in a critical condition. After being rushed to a private hospital, he was declared dead on arrival by a doctor.

Chief medical superintendent of Moradabad Dr Shiv Singh said: “The emergency medical officer had seen the patient at 3am and there was no heartbeat. He had examined the man multiple times.”

The 45-year-old’s body was then taken to a government medical facility for a post-mortem examination, and he was placed in a morgue freezer. His family arrived six hours later to identify his body and signed a document agreeing to an autopsy.

According to The Times of India though, his sister-in-law then noticed that Mr Kumar was showing signs of movement.

In a video on social media she can be heard saying: “He’s not at all dead. How did this happen?”

Rajendra Kumar, the hospital’s medical superintendent, told AFP: “The emergency medical officer examined him. He did not find any signs of life and hence declared him dead.

“When a police team and his family came over to initiate the paperwork for the autopsy, he was found alive. This is nothing short of a miracle.”

He added that Mr Kumar was still receiving treatment following the incident and remains in a coma.

The doctors’ mistake in declaring him dead is reportedly under investigation.

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