A family in Surin discovered they had been sent the wrong body from a hospital in Rayong after opening the coffin ahead of funeral rites and finding a man inside instead of their female relative.
The body arrived in Lamduan district at around 6.50pm yesterday, October 12, after being transported from Rayong.
Relatives became suspicious as the coffin was being unloaded because the body appeared much smaller than the woman they were expecting.
They were also puzzled that the body had been sealed inside a zipped bag because she had died from ischaemic heart disease, not an infectious disease.
When the bag was opened so the family could prepare the body, they found a man believed to be around 50 years old.
The woman, identified as 46 year old Oi, had died in Rayong and was due to be brought back to Surin for funeral rites.
Chatthawat, a 30 year old emergency worker who transported the body, said the collection had followed the hospital’s paperwork and that relatives were present when the body was handed over.
According to him, the family asked to see the woman’s face before leaving because they questioned why the body was sealed in a zipped bag.
He said hospital staff refused the request, telling them the body was considered infectious and should not be opened.
He also said staff repeatedly assured the family that it was the correct body, even after relatives pointed out that the deceased woman had a larger build than the person inside the bag appeared to have.
After the mix-up was discovered, Chatthawat began driving the man’s body back towards Rayong, while hospital staff brought Oi’s body from the hospital. The two sides arranged to meet halfway and exchange the bodies.
The family postponed the funeral rites while waiting for the correct body to arrive.
A local village head said the family did not want to pursue the matter aggressively and mainly wanted the correct body returned so the funeral could continue.
He also urged the hospital to review its procedures and ensure staff check bodies more carefully before releasing them to relatives.
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The story Rayong hospital sends man’s body to family expecting woman as seen on Thaiger News.