14 DAY TRIAL // One man in Sri Lanka tried to set a new world record for the longest time being buried alive – and died in the process. He was 24 years old and, as per reports in the press, this was his third attempt.
While buried alive-like stunts have been done before by world-famous illusionists like David Blaine, the real deal is much harder to put into practice, not to mention countless times more dangerous.
For this reason alone, the Guinness Book of World Records refuses to acknowledge them as records, because it doesn't want to encourage people to put their lives at risk.
Janaka Basnayake from Sri Lanka probably didn't know that when he decided to go for the unofficial world record, the Huffington Post informs.
As noted above, reports in the local media say that he'd done this particular stunt before twice. He probably believed he could last for longer under ground this time around.
“Police said Janaka Basnayake, 24, buried himself over the weekend with the help of family and friends in a trench sealed with wood and soil in the town of Kantale, about 137 miles (220 kilometers) north of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo,” the Post writes.
“A local newspaper reported that the trench was 10 feet (3 meters) deep,” says the same media outlet.
“Basnayake was buried at around 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said that when he was brought to the surface at 4 p.m., he was unconscious and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” the Post explains.
An exact cause of death was not determined on the spot, pending an ongoing investigation.
His mother has spoken to the local press, saying he'd always been a daring boy since he was a kid. As he grew up, he got even bolder, after getting ideas for new stunts from the movies he saw on TV.
She reportedly said that he'd tried the buried alive stunt twice before, for two and a half hours, and six hours respectively.
Once the investigation is concluded, the young man will be re-buried in a ceremony that will take place later this week.