Man, 24, dies in bid to be buried alive the longest

A man has died while trying to set a record for the longest time spent buried alive.

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, 137 miles north of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. A local newspaper reported that the trench was 10ft deep.

Mr Basnayake was buried at about 9.30am on Saturday. Police said that when he was brought to the surface at 4pm, he was unconscious. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His mother, L D Leelawathi, said her son had enjoyed performing unusual acts since his childhood – a liking that grew after watching movies, the Lankadeepa newspaper reported.

AP