'Dead' Colombia Baby Wakes 10 Hours Later in Morgue

A baby girl pronounced medically dead at birth came back to life 10 hours after her body was taken to the morgue, it has been claimed.

According to news outlet Semana, the infant did not appear to have a heartbeat when she was delivered prematurely at a hospital in the Colombian state of Choco.

Doctors declared her dead and the baby was taken to the morgue.

Her body was placed in a box at Quibdo city morgue but when her father arrived to retrieve her body, he and a nurse saw the box move and they heard a muffled cry.

Paediatrician Javier Zagarra said the baby's faint heartbeat could have been too difficult to detect at birth, leading to the misdiagnosis.

"In some cases the heart movements are not perceptible even though the newborn is alive, they can declare it dead," he said.

"When they wrap the baby in a sheet, upon receiving warmth, the baby can then revitalise," he added.

The girl was moved to the Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus clinic in the capital of Bogota for further evaluation.

The parents have chosen to name her Miraglos - "Miracles" in Spanish.

In July, a baby came back to life in Brazil after she was placed on top of a church altar.

When Yasmin Gomes' grandmother arrived three hours later to take her body to the morgue, the baby was kicking her legs and had her eyes open.