Rescuers Revive Escape Artist After 'Buried Alive' Stunt Goes Wrong

An escape artist almost suffocated when he was buried alive under six feet of soil and tried to free himself during the climax of a festival in West Yorkshire.

Antony Britton had hoped to better the legendary Harry Houdini by escaping unaided from a grave with his hands cuffed. But his team were forced to dig him out and pull him to the surface unconscious after he failed to emerge within nine minutes.

Some in the audience at Slaithwaite Spa, near Huddersfield, were in tears as helpers cleared soil from Britton’s mouth and throat before paramedics administered oxygen.

He came around after several minutes, and later said he would think very carefully before making another attempt the challenge, despite nearly reaching the surface.

Britton, who is recovering from a cracked rib, scratching and bruises, told the Guardian: “All I remember is, literally your life goes before your eyes. Really. And then I just passed out.

“It was really weird because I’m not saying I heard noises but my family was talking to me. Just before I passed out I could see both my grandfathers talking to me as if I was a kid. It’s quite emotional when I think back what I went through. It fills me up.

“Then I just passed out and the next thing I know they dug me up and dragged me out.”

The stunt was the climax of the Buried Alive festival, hosted by Escape For Life, a non-profit started by Britton and his friends to raise money for charity with affordable events for the public.

Britton attempted to perform the classic version of the escape, in which the escape artist is handcuffed and buried beneath six feet of soil without a casket. His job was to free himself from the cuffs and scrabble out through tons of heavy dirt. However, things quickly began to go wrong.

“The soil was landing on top of me and around the side of me. It was compacting and crushing me. Every single time another bucket came it was getting worse.

“I managed to get an air hole. I remember exhaling and because I collapsed my lungs the soil compacted into that space which meant that when I went to inhale I couldn’t.

“It was not a problem, but I remember then getting my right arm stuck in the soil and I started passing out. At that point all sorts went through my head and I just remember thinking it’s up to the ground crew to do their job.”

Assistants on the ground used a mechanical digger and their bare hands to disentomb Britton after they were no longer able to hear him breathing. “The digger driver was absolutely so skilful, I couldn’t have got anybody better in the digger,” Britton said. “When he got the blade in he could have quite easily cut me in two with the pressure.”

Britton is believed to be only the third person in 100 years to attempt the escape. In 1915, Houdini made it as far as breaking the surface with his hand before assistants were forced to dig him up. Twenty-five years later, in 1940, a British escapologist, Alan Alan, attempted the challenge, and he too had to be rescued.

In 1992 a 32-year-old American magician, Joe Burrus, died in his attempt at a variation of the stunt. He was crushed to death when the perspex casket he was interred in was unable to hold the weight of soil and concrete that he had told helpers to pour on top.

Estelle says: Seriously! Why don't you find another way to generate funds for your charity, this is dumb idea to me.