Man Incorrectly Pronounced Dead And Rescued From Mortuary Freezer Has Now Died

A man who was rescued after incorrectly being pronounced dead and put in a mortuary freezer has now died.

Balasubramanyam Kumar had fallen critically ill in his village of Kandhampatti in Tamil Nadu state, India, and was bed-ridden, The Independent reports.

NDTV

A doctor at a private hospital reportedly declared the 74-year-old dead on Monday (12 October) and the family placed his body inside a freezer box so it could be kept for the performance of the last rites.

However, when undertakers came to collect the body the next day for the funeral they noticed Balasubramanyam shaking.

He was subsequently rushed to his local hospital in Salem City where he died today (Friday 16 October).

Dr Balajinathan told BBC Tamil that the patient was admitted in a drowsy condition and died of lung-related problems. He added that it was unclear whether his death resulted from being kept in the freezer.

Police said the family were unable to produce a death certificate and are being investigating for 'acting rashly or negligently to endanger human life'.

NDTV

The funeral company said they were told by Balasubramanyam's brother that he had 'a signed letter of a doctor regarding his demise'.

It is unclear whether the private hospital where he was supposedly declared dead is being investigated; nor is it clear how Balasubramanyam survived for almost 24 hours in the freezer box.

Balasubramanyam lived with his wife, brother and two daughters.

Topics: World News, India

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey