Family members said the 80-year-old's grandson - who was returning home with the 'body' - noticed him moving his hand after the ambulance went over a pothole.

India's much-derided potholes - which have caused everything from annoyance and exasperation to injuries and even deaths - turned out to be a literal lifesaver for an 80-year-old man from Haryana on Thursday, his family has claimed.

Declared dead by doctors, the "body" of Darshan Singh Brar was being taken from Patiala to his home near Karnal, where mourning relatives had gathered, food had been laid out and wood had been collected for his funeral, when the ambulance hit a pothole.

Brar's family said his grandson, who was with him in the ambulance, noticed him moving his hand and, on sensing a heartbeat, asked the ambulance driver to head to the nearest hospital. The doctors there declared him alive.

The 80-year-old heart patient is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Karnal, where his condition is said to be critical. The family has hailed the incident as a miracle and are now hoping for a speedy recovery.