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A woman had to dig out of her own grave after she was allegedly beaten and buried alive by drunk neighbours.

Nina Rudchenko, 57, was left with horrific injuries after her ordeal - including a broken jaw and nose.

Local reports claim Nina was at her home in the village of Maryanske in Ukraine, when two drunk brothers broke into her house.

The brothers, believed to be aged 27 and 30, allegedly beat her with a baseball bat and tortured her for two hours until she passed out.

At night, the they then allegedly dragged her motionless body to the local cemetery and started pouring water on her face.

When she regained consciousness, they allegedly forced her to dig a grave then ordered her to lie in it.

Recalling the horrific events, Nina said to local media: ''I lay in the grave face down and they began to bury me.

''I covered my face with hands trying to reserve some air. They were laughing and talking about plans to kill all my family.

''After they finished, they wondered if I had already died then went away.''

After her torturers fled the scene, Nina managed to dig her way out of the shallow grave.

She crawled a few miles before getting home and lost consciousness.

The following morning, Nina was found lying on the floor in her house by her sister Ludmila Gura.

Mrs Gura told: "Nina's face was covered with bruises and blood. It was black and swollen. I barely could recognise her."

The victim was rushed to hospital and medics were shocked to see her look, say local media.

Oleksandr Klymchuk, a surgeon from the Velykobagachansk District Hospital said: "The woman was diagnosed with brain concussion, broken jaw and nose. Her head and body were covered with numerous severe bruises."

Law enforcement launched a criminal case for attempted murder against the brothers.

Police spokesman Evgen Slipchenko said: "The suspects might be also accused of kidnapping. We are now looking into the circumstances."

The attackers said 'they were drunk' while explaining themselves to detectives during an interrogation, according to reports.

They face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. The investigation continues.