Death is an inevitable part of life. Ideally, one would pass away peacefully, but history has shown that some deaths can be shockingly harrowing.

Over the ages, tales of individuals meeting grim and agonizing ends have emerged.

These unfortunate manners of departing have been chronicled:

Buried Alive

One might assume that if trapped underground, you could simply dig your way out. However, that's not quite the reality.

Experts differ on how long it would take to succumb in such a scenario, estimating anywhere from 10 minutes to 36 hours.

The general consensus? The chances of survival are bleak.

Even if you managed to break out of a coffin, you'd still be faced with the daunting task of escaping using just your hands. Oxygen would become scarce, and the weight of the soil above would become oppressive.

Radiation Sickness

It's widely recognized that exposure to high levels of radiation is among the most agonizing ways to die.

Whether it's a swift or prolonged process, being exposed due to a nuclear disaster or weapon means immense suffering.

There's a well-documented case in Japan involving a man named Hisashi Ouchi, who faced a mishap at a nuclear facility.

Over weeks, medical professionals tried to keep him alive, despite his pleas to let him go.

His heart ceased beating thrice, but upon his family's wishes, doctors continually revived him. Tragically, Ouchi passed away from multi-organ failure after a harrowing 83 days.

Decompression

Humans aren't naturally equipped to withstand extreme altitudes or depths, primarily because of the pressure changes involved.

Though we can venture into the Earth's extremities, adversity in such environments can be fatal.

In aviation, sudden decompression might lead to oxygen scarcity, or worse, individuals could be forcibly ejected from the plane, contingent on the extent of damage.

Equally perilous is deep-sea diving. Surfacing too rapidly can trigger decompression sickness, commonly referred to as 'the bends'.

Pyroclastic Flow

A pyroclastic flow is essentially a rapid wave of gas and volcanic debris that emerges post-volcanic eruption.

Its speed is so intense that it's impossible to escape, and with temperatures soaring up to 1,000°C, it obliterates everything in its path. A historic instance is the engulfment of Pompeii in 79 AD, where people were instantly fossilized, captured in their final moments.

Indoor Lightening Strike

While the probability of being hit by lightning is quite low – with about one in 1,083,000 people experiencing it annually in the US – it's not out of the question.

As per a 2017 article by Popular Science, there was a case where a man was struck by lightning indoors. He was situated near a metal pillar and between two metal supports when lightning coursed down the pillar, zapped through his foot, traveled to his heart, and exited via his thumb. Post-mortem observations noted an atypical stiffness in his body.

Volcanic Hot Pot

Volcanoes, unsurprisingly, feature again as instruments of terrifying fatalities.

Yellowstone National Park, resting atop the globe's renowned supervolcano, is home to a plethora of geysers and thermal springs, even if the supervolcano is currently dormant. These thermal waters simmer just under boiling point and vary from being slightly alkaline to extremely acidic.

Venturing too close is perilous. An individual at Norris Geyser Basin unfortunately stumbled into one such acidic, heated pool, likely enduring severe burns.

Commenting on this tragic event, Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress stated, as quoted by Time: "In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving."

Boomslang

Though its name might remind you of a spell from the wizarding world of Harry Potter, the Boomslang is, in reality, a venomous serpent.

While typically not overly aggressive, it could potentially strike if it feels cornered or endangered.

A bite from its back fangs can deliver venom, sending the toxin rushing into one's system.

In 1957, herpetologist Karl P. Schmidt introduced this snake to Chicago's Natural History Museum. While examining the reptile, it bit him on his left thumb.

Prior to his death the next day, Schmidt recorded the harrowing effects of the venom. His symptoms included nausea, shivering, a spike in body temperature, and uncontrollable shaking. He also bled from his mouth, vomited up his meal, and noticed blood in his urine.

In the end, Schmidt became unresponsive and tragically succumbed to respiratory paralysis that afternoon.