Premature Baby Declared Dead Wakes Up Before Funeral

'Dead' Baby Awakens At Own Wake

A baby boy (originally thought to be a girl) in Paraguay who was declared dead and then found to be alive just before his funeral wake, has died, the BBC reports. Angel Salvador was born a number of months prematurely last week and then pronounced dead by medical staff, who later admitted that a doctor never actually checked his vital signs, according to the BBC.

Dr. Ernesto Weber, head of pediatric care at the state-run hospital in the capital of Asuncion, said the baby weighed just 500 grams (17.6 ounces) when he was born.

"Initially, the baby didn't move, he practically didn't have any respiratory reflexes, nor did we hear a heartbeat and, as a result, we declared a premature fetus of 24 weeks dead," Weber told Reuters Television.

Though Reuters originally reported the infant to be in stable condition in an incubator, following the discovery by his father, Jose Alvarenga, the BBC reports that his organs could not sustain him in their current state.

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