Rosangela Almeida dos Santos, a 37-year-old woman from Brazil, reportedly spent up to 11 days trying to escape her coffin after being mistakenly buried alive. This nightmarish scenario unfolded in the Senhora Santana cemetery in Riachao das Neves, where locals reported hearing screams and banging noises coming from her grave, leading to her coffin being exhumed.
When her family opened the coffin, they discovered evidence suggesting that dos Santos had been alive, desperately attempting to free herself. Despite being taken to the hospital, she was declared dead and reburied the following day. Neighbors had alerted her family about the chilling sounds coming from her grave, and upon reopening the coffin, her body was found turned within the casket.
Reports from the Daily Mail indicated that cotton wool initially placed in her ears and nostrils had been removed, and she had injuries on her hands and forehead from trying to escape. There were also scratches and blood marks inside the coffin, with the nails sealing the lid found pushed upwards, indicating her struggle.
Dos Santos had been admitted to a hospital in northeast Brazil for severe fatigue and had been on anti-convulsant medications due to fainting spells since the age of seven. Her death certificate stated she suffered two cardiac arrests and died of septic shock. After a wake that evening, she was buried the next day.
Neighbors initially dismissed the muffled screams as children’s pranks, but a neighbor later reported hearing the screams followed by groans. When her body was recovered, locals who visited the graveyard verified that her body was still warm. The family believes dos Santos was mistakenly declared dead after spending a week in the hospital and has reported the incident to the police.
This tragic incident underscores the horrifying possibility of being buried alive and the importance of thorough medical examinations before declaring someone deceased. The case has left a profound impact on the community, raising questions about medical protocols and the terrifying reality of such an event. Our thoughts remain with dos Santos’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.
