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. A local newspaper reported that the trench was 10 feet (3 meters) deep.

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.

Dr. D.G. Costa of the Kantale hospital said a post-mortem could not determine the cause of death and further medical investigations are being conducted.

Basnayake's 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.

It quoted her as saying that her son had been buried alive on two previous occasions — for two and a half hours and six hours respectively.

It was unclear whether there is an official world record for the longest time buried alive.

Police said Basnayake was a member of the Civil Defense Force, a police unit that fought in the country's 25-year civil war.

Submitted on 03/05/2012

Submitted by: Robert
Reference: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/world/man-dies-trying-to-set-mark-for-being-2217255.html

Copyright © 2012 DarwinAwards.com

Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Other
Sorry, Robert, but this just doesn't say 'Darwin' to me. The other moderators may differ.

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I'm voting to keep this because he did it before AND because he did it for kicks. Apparently, his family was as stupid as he (duh!) for enabling his strange fetish! It was simply a matter of when, not if...! Thanks, Robert!

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I'm with James on this one - the fact that he'd done these sorts of crazy stunts in the past is enough for me. Thanks, Robert!

The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom Keep yourself out of the gene pool! A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item! Friends don't let friends reproduce! $13 for Pack of 4