A Taiwanese man who was trapped in a coffin at a public cemetery for six days miraculously survived by drinking his own urine and rainwater.

Family of the man, surnamed Chien, believe that the incident was premeditated by some of his friends at a shrine where they often gather for drinks. Police suspect that last Saturday after his regular drinking session, Chien was taken to the nearby cemetery, before being pushed into the coffin. The perpetrators then sealed the coffin with a lid that weighed twice the man's body weight.

Chien, who is only 162 cm tall and weighs 50kg, was unable to lift himself out of the coffin after he woke up in the dark. Hungry and thirsty, he sustained himself by drinking his urine and what little rain he got over his six-day ordeal. His suffering eventually came to an end when visitors to the cemetery heard him wailing.

Lawyers said the perpetrators could be charged with attempted murder and face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or a jail sentence of more than ten years.