Hundreds of Iraqis gathered overnight at a cemetery in Dohuk province after “knocking” sounds were heard coming from the grave of an elderly man who was buried 40 days ago, local media reported on Friday.
The dead man was a 60-year-old Syrian refugee who had suffered two strokes, the Rudaw channel reported.
His daughter said she had heard a loud sound coming from the grave.
“It was as if it were someone knocking on the door trying to get out,” she told another media outlet.
Others said they had heard the same sound, which prompted the villagers living near the Faida cemetery to ask officials from the Kurdistan region for help.
But officials have so far refused to re-open the grave.
“The deceased’s daughter claims to have heard the sound inside her father’s grave. These allegations have no basis in truth,” Adil Doski, a local official in charge of Faida district, was quoted as saying by Iraqi Al Sumaria television channel.
“The police contacted the judge who said that he would not be allowed to dig the grave and interfere with the body of the deceased,” he added.
