Indian man dies after being sent to morgue while still alive

The man was pronounced dead on Monday, only to be found alive on Tuesday.
The man was pronounced dead on Monday, only to be found alive on Tuesday. Photo credit: Times of India

A man has died in India after being placed in a morgue freezer when he was wrongly pronounced dead.

The 74-year-old man from the state of Tamil Nadu was taken to a medical centre with an unknown condition on Monday (local time) and pronounced dead a short time later, the BBC reports.

After being pronounced dead, his body was put into a morgue freezer. He was later found alive when officials went to collect the body for his funeral on Tuesday.

The man was then admitted to a Government hospital, but died on Friday due to lung failure.

Hospital authorities say it's unknown how long the man had been kept in the freezer.

A "letter of a doctor regarding his demise" had been signed by the man's brother before he was taken to the morgue, funeral directors told the BBC.

The directors added they have filed a case against the man's relatives for endangering his life.