Janaka Basnayake, a 24-year-old man from Sri Lanka, died this weekend while trying to set a new world record. Basnayake was trying to become the person to spend the longest time being buried alive. Tragically, the stunt ended in his death.
The Associated Press reports that Basnayake was buried underneath wood and soil by his friends and family at about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. A local newspaper reported that Basnayake was buried in the town of Kantale (about 137 miles north of Colombo) in a trench about 10 feet deep. When the man was dug out at 4 p.m., nearly 6 and a half hours after being buried alive, he was found unconscious.
Basnayake was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Basnayake’s mother said that her son had been buried alive on at least two other occasions. On one occasion Basnayake spent 6 hours 6-feet-under.
It’s unclear if Basnayake was attempting to break an official record or if he was just trying to beat a personal best. The Guinness Book of World Records does not recognize a “time being spent buried alive” world record but there have been several attempts.
The Daily Mail reports that a British man claimed in 1998 that he had spent three months buried alive. David Blaine also made headlines when he spent seven days underground in a plastic box in 1999.
