SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
A couple of brothers from Slovakia are the fastest grave diggers in Central Europe. And they say it's a dream job. Ladislav and Csaba Skladan won the grave-digging championships at this week's International Exhibition of Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services.
Ten teams using only picks and shovels dug graves 5 feet deep, 6 and a half feet long and 3 feet wide. It turns out that Slovak graveyards can be crowded. So most graves are still dug by hand. The people who dig them have to work through rain and snow. The brothers won by digging a grave to spec in 54 minutes.
Ladislav Skladan told reporters, I had to focus on speed today. But, usually, if the weather is nice and I can chat with my brother, it's a dream job. The way they make grave digging sound, what kid would ever want to grow up to be a rock star? Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.