Feat Turns Fatal

I just saw a news article reporting the tragic death of a Sri Lankan man, last Saturday, while trying to set a record for the longest time spent buried alive.  His mother indicated that he had been buried alive on two previous occasions - for two and a half hours and six hours respectively.  This time, he was found unconscious after spending six and a half hours buried in a ten foot deep trench sealed with wood and soil.  In spite of his efforts, it is unclear whether there is even an official world record for the longest time buried alive.

This is apparently a stunt that even famous escape artist Harry Houdini had trouble with.  In 1917, near Santa Ana, California, he was buried, without a casket, in a pit of earth six feet deep. He became exhausted and panicky trying to dig his way to the surface and called for help. When his hand finally broke the surface, he fell unconscious and had to be pulled from the grave by his assistants. Houdini wrote in his diary that the escape was "very dangerous" and that "the weight of the earth is killing."

I don't want to pass judgement on anyone's rationale for attempting something like this.  I can sincerely tell you, however, that this Blind Bambi has absolutely no interest in trying something like this at home (or on a reality show).