Butwal, August 20

In an unusual occurrence, a man declared dead at Deupar, Sainamaina Municipality in Rupandehi district came back to life, only to be pronounced dead later.

Jokhu Chaudhary of Deupar was bitten by a snake at his house on Friday evening and immediately rushed to Lumbini Zonal Hospital at Butwal, but doctors pronounced him dead upon his arrival.

As the family of the deceased was preparing for Chaudhary’s final rites, Chaudhary started moving his hands and feet, and his body started sweating.

Chaudhary was again immediately rushed to a medical college in Bhairahawa where the doctors kept him on a ventilator.

However, he was pronounced dead by doctors in an hour.

According to CPN-UML’s local leader Nara Bahadur Thapa, Chaudhary’s body had gone into rigor mortis by the time he was taken to Lumbini Zonal Hospital; his joints had stiffened and muscles had gone rigid, which is considered one of the most recognisable signs of death that usually occurs from four hours to four days after death.

Superintendent at Lumbini Zonal Hospital Dr Bikas Devkota said that cases of rigor mortis setting in even prior to death are exceedingly rare.

The hospital will probe into this rare occurrence, said Dr Devkota.