BANGKOK, July 20 -- A renovation project at a 155-year-old Buddhist temple here took an unexpected turn when workers unearthed a wooden coffin containing a woman's skeleton hidden beneath the floor of a prayer hall.

The rotting red coffin was found on July 18 by construction worker Jedsada while he was installing jacks inside the Limpaporn prayer hall at Wat That Thong along Sukhumvit Road to make way for a third storey, The Bangkok Post reported today.

The 21-year-old worker immediately alerted temple officials, who then contacted police to investigate the unusual discovery.

Police found a decayed female skeleton believed to have been buried there for at least 50 years, along with a stainless steel tray and four coins dated 1957.

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