INDIA: Boy wakes up during his funeral!

• The boy was suffering from high fever and was put on a ventilator

In what appears to be straight out of a Bollywood movie plot, a 17-year-old boy in India woke up during his funeral, taking his family and friends by surprise.

The incident has been reported in Dharwad's Managundi village of Karnataka.

According to the Indiatimes, Kumar Marewad was receiving treatment in a hospital after he was bitten by a stray dog a month ago. The boy was suffering from high fever and was put on a ventilator.

Doctors informed the family that Kumar was critical and would not survive without ventilator as the infection had spread through his body.
"We had decided to take Kumar home after doctors told us his chances of survival were bleak, once taken off the ventilator," Kumar's brother-in-law Sharanappa Naikar was quoted saying.

Noticing no body movement or breathing, Kumar's relatives presumed him dead.

The villagers and family started making arrangements for his funeral and last rites.

While Kumar was being taken for the funeral, he moved his hand, arms and started breathing. He was immediately admitted to the hospital where his condition was reported to be critical.

Dr Mahesh Neelakhantannavar said, "Kumar is on the ventilator. We suspect he suffers from meningoencephalitis, an infection caused due to a dog bite."

Kumar's parents Ningappa and Manjula, daily wage labourers, said, "Kumar stopped going to school after class IX to support us. He used to work as a construction labourer. His elder brother is physically challenged. We need support for his treatment."