As the man approached the body of his brother lying in a morgue in Salvador, Brazil, he noticed that the body inside was squirming.

Walter Goncalves realised that his brother, Valdelucio, had not died at the age of 54 but in fact had a few more years left in him.

Doctors at the Menandro de Farias General Hospital had thought Valdelucio Goncalves had died following respiratory failure and multiple organ failure. Yet two hours later he was found alive in a body bag by his brother.

After the brother alerted the morgue, Goncalves was taken back to the hospital for treatment and was then photographed alive, both thumbs up.

The hospital in Salvador has now opened an investigation into the incident.

Goncalves' niece, Patricia, told Correio 24 Horas: “The bag was closed and moving. Up and down as if he was breathing. Then he (the brother) called everyone to see what was happening. He was with the feet tied and with cotton in the nose and ears."

This is not the first time someone has been presumed deceased mistakenly.