A Tiktoker faked his own death then showed up at the funeral in a helicopter to teach his wider family a lesson

• A Belgian Tiktoker staged his own funeral in order to see how many people would show up.
• 'Ragnar le Fou' explained that he wanted to teach his family a life lesson about staying close.

A Tiktoker in Belgium faked his death before turning up at his own funeral in a helicopter, in a bid to see who in his wider family would show up.

David Baerten, who goes by the Tiktok handle @ragnar_le_fou, carried out the stunt in front of mourners over the weekend with the aid of his wife and children, who helped him orchestrate it.

Various clips shared by other Tiktokers appear to show scenes from the day, including shots of a coffin and a memorial.

His daughter also prepared the scene with a post saying: "Rest in peace Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you," according to the Times of London.

"Why is life so unfair? Why you? You were going to be a grandfather, and you still had your whole life ahead of you. I love you! We love you! We will never forget you," she added.

Clips circulating on Tiktok from the staged funeral show mourners reacting in confusion as a black helicopter lands in a nearby field, and his wife and family walk out to greet him.

"It's not possible," said one amazed funeral goer.

Later, footage shows a sobbing mourner embracing Baerten.

Baerten, who has 160,000 followers on TikTok, is no stranger to showy gestures. In another video he filmed himself gifting his sister a car to celebrate her getting a new job.

He explained his reasoning for the funeral stunt, saying the family had drifted apart and that he wanted to get them together.

"We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated. That's why I wanted to give them a life lesson, and show them that you shouldn't wait until someone is dead to meet up with them," he said, according to The Times.

In a further video, he said that though he was glad to feel loved on his 'funeral' day, "it's when we're alive that we need to hear these things."

"I did this to start my life again with you," he said, addressing his wider family.

Some online commenters were moved by his unorthodox attempt to bring his family together. Others, who claim to have lost a loved one for real, were dismayed.

"You don't play with death, I lost my husband, and it's hard to live through the loss of someone you love. I'm shocked," wrote one commenter.

Another simply said: "I've been sad learning about this so-called death … having lost my dad at 18 years old and my mum at 29 I'm having trouble accepting the prank."