Mourners were left stunned when a man believed to be dead showed up to his own funeral and proclaimed "I'm alive!". The 22-year-old man, who had vanished during a multi-day drinking spree, had been declared dead after a body was discovered under a sugarcane truck in Alderetes, a city in northern Argentina. Initially, local police suspected the death was a suicide, but prosecutors classified the case as negligent homicide and requested an autopsy to determine the exact cause.

His mother, who said she was unable to reach him for several days, feared the worst and identified the 22-year-old based on clothing and some physical traits. Authorities then released the body to the family and a funeral was quickly arranged.

However, just as mourners were paying their respects, the man walked in very much alive and unaware that he had even been declared dead.

The man who has not been named told stunned attendees and police that he had been drinking heavily and had no clue that a body had been mistaken for his.

His unexpected appearance sent shockwaves through the room, leaving everyone wondering who was the other man in the coffin.

The man was taken to the local police station for questioning, while the body in the coffin was returned to the morgue for proper identification.

It was later confirmed that the body was that of 28-year-old Maximiliano Enrique Acosta, from the nearby town of Delfín Gallo.

However, authorities initially failed to return Mr Acosta's body to his family, allegedly delivering the wrong remains.

Mr Acosta's brother, Hernán, said: "Everything was wrong from the beginning. First, they handed over the body without proper identification.

"Then they made me go to the morgue twice. We shouldn't have to go through this after everything we suffered."

Once his body was finally returned to the family, a funeral was held for Mr Acosta in his hometown on Tuesday.

In the wake of the incident, Argentina's Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an internal investigation into the mishandling and misidentification of the body.