WASHINGTON, Feb 28 — A 78-year-old American man who was declared dead and taken to a funeral home dramatically woke up as he was about to be embalmed, US media reported yesterday.

Walter Williams was registered dead on Wednesday evening after medics failed to find his pulse. He was transported to the Porters and Sons Funeral Home in Lexington, Mississippi.

However, a few hours later when workers were about to prepare his corpse they noticed Williams moving in his body bag.

“He was not dead, long story short,” funeral home manager Byron Porter told local television station WAPT, noting that he had never seen anything like it before.

Williams’s daughter, Martha Lewis, said: “I don’t know how much longer he’s going to grace us and bless us with his presence, but hallelujah, we thank him right now, right now!”

A local coroner said Williams’ pacemaker may have stopped working and then started up again. — AFP