'Dead' gran got out of coffin days after she 'died and started cooking meal

The passing of Li Xiufeng, a respected village elder, at the age of 95 left her neighbours heartbroken.

After suffering a severe fall and injuring her head, she was found lifeless in bed on a chilly winter morning. Her neighbours declared her dead and began preparations to bid their final farewells.

Li was found by her neighbour, 60-year-old Chen Qingwang, who had been unable to wake the elderly woman from her sleep. Chen had been bringing breakfast to Li every morning since her fall.

He recounted the events of the day she 'passed away' in February 2012, saying: "I came to wake her up. No matter how hard I pushed her and called her name, she had no reactions. I felt something was wrong, so I tried her breath, and she has gone. But her body is still not cold."

However, when Mrs Xiufeng's coffin was discovered empty just days later, an eerie panic quickly swept through her community. The reality would prove far stranger than anything they could have anticipated, reports the Mirror.

In February 2012, Li Xiufeng, aged 95, was found unresponsive by a neighbour in Beiliu, a city nestled in the mountainous and ancient Chinese province of Guangxi.

Living alone in Beiliu, a city nestled in the mountainous and ancient Chinese province of Guangxi, Mrs Xiufeng was cared for by her neighbour, Mr Qingwang, who ensured she received a proper burial. In line with Chinese tradition, the coffin of the deceased is left open in their home for several days, allowing family and friends to pay their final respects.

Mrs Xiufeng was placed in her coffin on 19 February, two days after she was discovered "dead". Her funeral was scheduled for six days later.

However, on 24 February, the day before the ceremony, Mr Qingwang visited his neighbour's home and was stunned to find her coffin empty and her body missing. He exclaimed: "We were so terrified, and immediately asked the neighbours to come for help."

The local community began a search, speculating about what could have possibly occurred. They feared something sinister - perhaps a grave robbery or another horrific crime.

But the truth was much closer to home, albeit far stranger. Upon entering the home's kitchen, the neighbours found Mrs Xiufeng calmly sitting on a stool, preparing herself a meal.

She reportedly told them: "I slept for a long time. After waking up I felt so hungry and wanted to cook something to eat. I pushed the lid for a long time to climb out."

Initially, doctors were perplexed. However, after examining Mrs Xiufeng, they concluded that she had experienced a rare condition known as "artificial death", where a person's breathing ceases but their body remains warm.

As one doctor at the hospital explained: "Thanks to the local tradition of parking the coffin in the house for several days, she could be saved."

However, Mrs Xiufeng's "resurrection" brought mixed fortunes. Local custom dictates that following a person's death, all their worldly possessions must be burnt so they can accompany them into the afterlife.

Whilst Mrs Xiufeng survived, her belongings did not, leaving the woman who cheated death with nothing.

Mrs Xiufeng isn't the only instance of "artificial death". Back in 1915, a funeral took place for 32-year-old Essie Dunbar in South Carolina, USA, following an epileptic episode in her sleep.

However, when her sister requested to view Mrs Dunbar's body one final time and had her coffin opened, she was astonished to see Essie sit upright in her coffin and smile at her.

Ministers were reportedly so stunned that they collapsed and tumbled into Mrs Dunbar's grave, with one sustaining three broken ribs. In 2014, 78-year-old Mississippi resident Walter Williams was declared dead.

However, when his body was transported to the morgue in a body bag, coroners detected movement. Mr Williams was literally alive and kicking.