A man mistakenly declared dead in hospital has been found awake and breathing in a body bag at the funeral home.
The family of Jose Ribeiro da Silva, 62, had even been handed a death certificate by doctors.
According to reports, the Hospital Estadual do Centro-Norte Goiano in Uruaçu, Goiás State, Brazil, declared the cancer patient dead on November 29.
His cause of death was stated as complications from mouth cancer.
Jose’s sister Aparecida said she was informed at around 8pm and the body was released to the family to begin the funeral arrangements - without ever imagining he was still alive.
Jose then spent around five hours in a body bag as he was transferred from the hospital to a funeral home over 100 kilometres away in the municipality of Rialma.
After arriving at the home at about 1am on November 30, a funeral worker found the man with his eyes open inside the body bag.
The worker said he was still breathing, but with some difficulty.
The funeral home then contacted the emergency services and Jose was taken to a nearby health centre, where he still remains hospitalised.
The ‘dead’ man’s family was also informed of the hospital mishap.
Jose’s sister Aparecida said: “The funeral home worker called me, desperately asking me to go there, that my brother was alive.”
She added: “It's unbelievable what happened, my brother spent five hours in a plastic bag, cold. It was horrible, such a situation is totally unacceptable.”
Jose has been treated for oral cancer since the beginning of this year.
When he was pronounced dead, he was reportedly breathing through a tracheotomy inserted into an opening created at the front of his neck.
The hospital has since stated that the doctor who signed the patient’s death certificate has been dismissed.
Meanwhile, the hospital’s technical director travelled to Rialma to provide assistance to Jose’s family members.
Aparecida filed a complaint with the police on the morning of November 30.
The investigation is ongoing.
Last month, an Indian man came 'back to life' after mistakenly being declared dead and placed in a freezer for seven hours.
Sreekesh Kumar, 40, was involved in an accident in the Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India, on November 18.
His family rushed him to hospital, but claimed he was declared dead shortly after arriving.
His body was taken to a mortuary for a post-mortem and placed in a freezer.
The next morning, police arrived with his family to identify the body and agree to an autopsy.
However, his relatives noticed signs of movement and alerted doctors.
He was then taken to hospital by ambulance for further treatment.
