Authorities Intervene in Disturbing Live Burial Ceremony in Leningrad Region

Law enforcement in the northwestern Leningrad region halted a live burial ceremony that was taking place in the woods, compelling the organizers to dig up individuals who had been buried alive, state media reported on Thursday.

«During an inspection, officers discovered two individuals swathed in cloth and interred in shallow graves,» a source informed the state-run TASS news agency. «Authorities insisted that the organizers excavate those who had been buried alive to assess their well-being.»

A video released by TASS depicted police arriving at the campsite and instructing an individual dressed in blue robes to uncover at least two persons who appeared to be fully enveloped in fabric and lying in a shallow trench.

As reported by the news agency, 15 individuals participated in the ceremony, where a person is symbolically buried alive as part of a spiritual or psychological transformation. Typically, participants are covered with soil while lying in a shallow grave to mimic the experience of burial.

The event’s organizers, a man and a woman, were subsequently apprehended, according to TASS. The report indicated that they could be charged with operating an organization that violates citizens’ rights, which carries a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison.