Estimates for surviving a live burial vary from minutes to hours, the decisive factors are available air, body size and how quickly oxygen is consumed.
In general, a physician estimated that a person buried alive can survive for about 60 minutes; read on for more information on this subject.
Depending on whom you ask, you will get answers ranging from 10 minutes to one hour, or from 6 to 26 hours. Although scientists do not agree on a single figure, they do agree on one certainty: a person buried alive has little time for rescue.
Whether the person is placed inside a coffin or wrapped in a shroud, the key variable is the amount of available air. Given standard grave dimensions, the smaller the person, the longer they are likely to survive. That is because a smaller body occupies less volume, leaving relatively more oxygen in the enclosed space.
When the oxygen runs out, that marks the moment their chance of survival ends. People with high lung capacity—such as swimmers or marathon runners—might hold their breath a bit longer, but typically they can survive only a minute or so longer than average breath-holders in such extreme conditions.
Let us examine the matter a little more precisely. Suppose your grave measures 200 × 70 × 60 centimetres; the total volume of that coffin would be 840 litres. The average human body displaces about 66 litres, so you have 774 litres of air remaining, one fifth of which is oxygen (about 155 litres). If a trapped person consumes roughly 0.5 litres of oxygen per minute, it would take just over five hours for the oxygen inside the grave to be exhausted. Unfortunately, being trapped in such a situation leaves almost no practical way to escape.
Assuming you could somehow get out without fully depleting the air supply, you would still face conditions similar to being buried by an avalanche or landslide. The soil above you is so compacted and heavy that your chest cannot expand properly. Even if movement is possible, the soil will flow into your mouth and nostrils, which can block your airways and cause sudden suffocation. A small consolation noted in the article is that, provided you do not struggle to free yourself, one aspect of a live burial is that you are likely to lose consciousness before experiencing severe physical pain.
Because exhalation releases carbon dioxide, rising CO₂ levels tend to cause drowsiness. As a result, before the heart and other organs stop, the trapped person may slip into a coma — meaning the final process can be relatively painless.
Tip | |
|---|---|
Survival depends on available air | The decisive factor is how much oxygen remains in the enclosed space. |
Body size matters | A smaller body displaces less air, leaving relatively more oxygen and extending possible survival time. |
Expert estimates vary | Reported survival times range widely — from about 10 minutes up to several hours — experts do not fully agree. |
Physical constraints threaten survival | Even with air, compacted soil can prevent breathing by restricting chest expansion and filling the mouth/nose. |
Rising CO₂ causes unconsciousness | Increasing CO₂ tends to induce drowsiness and coma before organs fail, so final stages may be painless. |
