(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-21 15:45

A man in the small Chilean village of Angol rose from his coffin when his relatives were bidding him a final farewell, local media reported Sunday.

Feliberto Carrasco, 81, was convinced dead and dressed in his finest suit for the wake after his family members found his body cold and immediately called a funeral home.

But the octogenarian opened his eyes in his coffin.

It surprised one of the old man's nephews, who shut his eyes when he saw it, believing it might be his illusion.

"When I opened them again, my uncle was looking at me. I started to cry and ran to get something to open up the coffin to get him out," Pedro was quoted as saying.

The old man said he was not in any pain, and only asked for a glass of water.