A three-year-old girl who was declared dead after falling seriously ill woke up – during her own funeral.

The unnamed youngster astounded mourning relatives and friends when she moved her head during the ceremony at a church in the Philippines on Sunday.

Police confirmed the startling incident at the church in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur. They refused to name the child or the family in order to protect their identities.

Video footage of the event, which showed the girl’s parents rushing to remove her from the wooden coffin, went viral after they were posted on a social network yesterday.

Although it could not be confirmed, local reports suggest the child experienced a very high fever for days and was brought to the clinic in the town for medical attention last Friday.

“During that time, the attending clinic personnel and physician confirmed that the young patient had no more pulse and was clinically dead last Saturday morning about 9 a.m.,” said Aurora police chief Heidil Teelan.

Teelan reported that apparently a neighbour removed the coffin cover to arrange the girl's remains – only to see her head move.

“This prompted them to check and confirmed the girl had pulse and was alive,” Teelan said.

He said the parents of the girl immediately gave her water and took her to see a doctor for a check-up, before taking her home.

“We really cannot make confirmation on the status of the girl but based on the observation of the police personnel I deployed, it appear the girl remained in a state of comatose in their house,” Teelan said.

Nurses were sent to the house and the family are now hoping that she will be transferred to a large hospital.

•Credit (except for amended headline): Daily Express (UK).