a burial ceremony.

The hapless trio took a tumble when the ground gave way beneath them as they helped bear the coffin to its final resting place.

And it left them with one foot in the grave themselves -- literally.

Luckily, two of them emerged from their grave predicament shocked but unscathed.

Their fellow pallbearer Mr. Roland Simons, however, injured his ribs, and stayed overnight in hospital.

The slight hiccup to the solemn occasion occurred at St. Mark's Church, Smith's, on Wednesday.

Mourners had gathered at the church to pay their last respects after a service at the Salvation Army.

A group of family friends helped carry the coffin of the late Mrs. Betty DeSilva.

The embarrassing slip-up happened as they crossed a grave, which suddenly collapsed.

Fortunately as the trio fell, their friends managed to keep hold of the coffin.

Yesterday Father Robert Hacker, from St. Mark's, said he had not witnessed the incident.

"I've never known anything like this to happen before,'' he added.

The funeral was handled by the Amis Memorial Chapel in Warwick.

Mr. Leon Amis, who runs the funeral service, said the three pallbearers fell about three feet into the grave.

"The top of the grave just collapsed, and the three were helped out,'' he said.

"Luckily, no one was very seriously hurt, and the coffin did not fall.'' Mr. Amis added it was the first time, in his knowledge, such an incident had happened.