Houdini had tried before him: the escapologist Antony Britton was buried alive, 6ft below ground, as part of his latest stunt. Having lost consciousness, he had to be rescued by the audience.
Big Challenge
He was to be handcuffed and then buried alive in a coffin, six foot under. Britton Antony is not the first to attempt the feat: before him, Harry Houdini in 1915, Alan Alan, in 1949, had attempted. Both had been saved by their assistants.
Britton Antony is not a beginner in the art of escape: he had already distinguished himself by escaping from a burning cage but also by breaking away from a straitjacket while dangling in the air.
Most of his stunts are part of charity events to raise money for associations. His latest there was no exception, and involved a festival organized to raise funds for research against leukemia.
Antony Britton and his straight jacket:
A failure that could have been fatal
Britton Antony spent 9 minutes underground, during which he felt anxious before losing consciousness. Then he only had a few centimeters before reaching the surface.
His team members dug at the earth by hand in order to save him. He was then taken away in an ambulance and given oxygen before he could be revived.
Britton suffers only a few injuries, including a cracked rib, but is aware that the adventure could have easily killed him. He is not yet ready to close to retry this Great Escape, but is already planning his next stunt, once he has recovered from his emotions.