BANGKOK, July 20 — A renovation project at a 155-year-old Buddhist temple here took an unexpected turn when workers unearthed a wooden coffin containing a woman’s skeleton hidden beneath the floor of a prayer hall.

The rotting red coffin was found on July 18 by construction worker Jedsada while he was installing jacks inside the Limpaporn prayer hall at Wat That Thong along Sukhumvit Road to make way for a third storey, The Bangkok Post reported today.

The 21-year-old worker  immediately alerted temple officials, who then contacted police to investigate the unusual discovery.

Police found a decayed female skeleton believed to have been buried there for at least 50 years, along with a stainless steel tray and four coins dated 1957.

Forensic police and doctors from Chulalongkorn Hospital examined the remains and items found inside the coffin before they were confiscated as evidence.

Police said foul play was unlikely, suggesting the woman may have been a donor who helped fund the construction of the temple hall and was later buried there by relatives near the main Buddha image.

The investigation is still ongoing as authorities work to establish the identity of the woman and the circumstances behind the burial.