Presumed-dead pensioner pulls a Lazarus on rescue crew

A scene that shocked an entire community unfolded yesterday when a presumed dead 72 year old man suddenly revived as rescue workers were preparing to collect his body. The incident occurred in Ban Dung District, Udon Thani Province, leaving both neighbours and authorities in disbelief.

At around 3pm yesterday, Weerapol Raksameuwong, an administrator for the Ban Dung Update Facebook page, received a report from residents of Ban Kham Bon in Na Kham Subdistrict. They had discovered what they believed to be a dead man inside a house at 139 Ban Kham Bon.

The neighbours, who hadn’t seen the elderly man, Khonsan “Tahok” Sosut, for three days, were confronted with a foul odour emanating from the house, prompting them to check inside.

Upon arrival at the scene, authorities found a newly constructed house. Peering through the window, they saw Khonsan lying naked on the floor, his limbs swollen, and surrounded by blood and feces. The village headman climbed through a window to open the door for the rescue team to collect the body and hand it over to the relatives for traditional funeral rites.

Neighbours confirmed that Khonsan lived alone as his wife was in Bangkok and his children worked abroad. They built the house for him to live in. When the neighbours noticed the foul smell and hadn’t seen him for days, they decided to look through the window, where they were horrified to discover Khonsan seemingly dead. Suspecting that he might have succumbed to a chronic illness, they immediately contacted the authorities.

Weerapol initially believed Khonsan to be dead and went to his van to fetch a white cloth to cover the body, pending the arrival of the police and a coroner for an autopsy. However, as he was on the phone and preparing to cover the body, a startling event occurred.

“I noticed movement and saw Khonsan open his eyes and gasp for air. I quickly dropped his phone and shouted, ‘He’s alive, he’s alive!’ prompting the rescue team to act swiftly.”

The rescue team from Na Kham Subdistrict rushed Khonsan to Somdej Phra Yupparaj Ban Dung Hospital. News of Khonsan’s unexpected revival spread rapidly among the gathered neighbours, who erupted in a mix of shock and joy. Some could hardly believe it, as the smell from his house had been overwhelming, leading many to assume the worst, reported KhaoSod.