An elderly man in Shanghai, China was thought to be dead by hospital staff and put in transit to the morgue during which it was discovered he was still alive.
According to the South China Morning Post, the patient was en route to the morgue in a yellow body bag when two startled medical workers noticed he was moving and still alive.
“He’s still moving,” one of the workers says in video of the incident that was released on May 1.
In the video, morgue workers are seen returning to the hospital and unzipping the body bag, telling staff that the elderly man inside is still alive.
Hospital staff proceed to check the patient for vital signs and then confer with colleagues. Three workers can be seen standing together and talking away from the morgue vehicle.
The three were apparently discussing what to do, unsure of how to act, according to the report. They decided to wheel the man back into the hospital as the situation was “unethical.”
Regional authorities opened an investigation into the incident, state media reported.
The hospital later issued an apology that was carried by local media.