Alive and kicking: Body bag starts moving after man wakes up in funeral home

Workers were about to embalm 78-year-old former farmer

Mr Williams is now recovering in hospital

Workers at a US funeral home were treated to a shock after a body they were preparing to embalm suddenly woke up kicking.

Despite being examined by Mississippi county coroner Dexter Howard, 78-year-old Walter Williams came back to life hours after he had been officially pronounced dead.

Staff at the Porter and Sons Funeral Home rushed Mr Williams, a former farmer and school worker, to hospital after they realised the mistake.

The manager of Porter and Sons Byron Porter said: “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Speaking to TV channel WAPTV coroner Howard confirmed he had checked Mr Williams pulse and found no heartbeat, declaring him dead at 10.30pm on Wednesday.

He said the experience was a miracle, although he did suggest Mr William’s pacemaker may have turned off causing it to appear as if he no longer had a pulse.

One of the body bags Mr Williams narrowly avoided

Mr William’s nephew Eddie Hester watched his uncle get put into the body bag, zipped up and taken away.

He said the entire family were happy to have Mr Williams back.

“I don’t know how long he’s going to be here, but I know he’s back right now. That’s all that counts,” Mr Hester added.