An Ecuadorian woman declared dead by doctors shocked mourners when she 'came back to life' in her coffin during her funeral.

Bella Montoya, 76, had been rushed to a hospital in Babahoyo city for a suspected stroke on June 9, but was pronounced dead when she became unresponsive during resuscitation attempts.

Grieving relatives placed Bella in a coffin and took her to a funeral parlour while they planned her burial. A death certificate was also handed to them stating the woman had died of cardiopulmonary arrest after the stroke.

Family and friends were praying for Bella's repose at her wake, when the brown casket suddenly began to rattle five hours later. They opened it to find a still-alive Bella convulsing and gasping for breath.

Footage shows Bella lying inside the coffin as she gulped in air. Her son, Gilbert Rodolfo Balberan Montoya, was shocked but immediately called the emergency services.

Medics later arrived and placed the grandmother on a stretcher to rush her to the Martín Icaza Hospital

Gilbert said: 'It gave us all a fright. There were about 20 of us there. After about five hours of the wake, the coffin started to make sounds. My mom was wrapped in sheets and hitting the coffin, and when we approached we could see that she was breathing heavily.'

Bella is still in the hospital's intensive care unit, but was responsive, authorities said.

Gilbert added: 'My mum is on oxygen, her heart is stable. The doctor pinched her hand and she reacted, they tell me that's good because it means she is reacting little by little.'

Medical experts believe Bella had experienced catalepsy - a prolonged period of muscular rigidity, inactivity, and decreased responsiveness to stimuli.

In a statement, Ecuador's Public Health Ministry said they were probing how the hospital issued death certificates following the incident.