Bhubaneswar: After battling for life for over two weeks, 86-year-old P. Laxmi, who was found alive moments before her funeral at the Swargadwar cremation ground in Puri, succumbed to her condition and died on Wednesday at the Puri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH).
P. Laxmi, a resident of Polsara village in Ganjam district, was mistakenly declared dead by her family on September 15. Believing she had passed away, her family arranged her last rites and transported her to the cremation ground. However, the crematorium manager’s sharp observation led to a life-saving intervention.
According to reports, Laxmi had been unresponsive and appeared lifeless, prompting her family to make funeral arrangements. Upon arrival at the Swargadwar crematorium, manager Brajkishore Sahu requested a death certificate from Laxmi’s son-in-law. While the document was being arranged, Sahu decided to inspect the body and was shocked to see signs of life — Laxmi was blinking her eyes.
Realising the gravity of the situation, Sahu immediately called an ambulance. Laxmi was rushed to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital, where she was admitted to the emergency ward and placed under intensive care.
Over the next 16 days, Laxmi received treatment and support from hospital staff. Despite their best efforts to stabilise her condition, the elderly woman’s health deteriorated, and she breathed her last today.
