Dutch family found after nine years in farmhouse cellar

Police say the group were ‘waiting for the end of time’

Dutch house
The farm where the family were discovered in Ruinerwold, northern Netherlands
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A man and at least five young adults believed to be his children are receiving medical treatment after hiding in a secret basement room for nine years waiting “for the end of time”, according to news agencies in the Netherlands.

Local media claims the group were discovered by police at a farmhouse near the remote village of Ruinerwold, in the northern Dutch province of Drenthe, after a local cafe owner raised the alert. The family, the youngest of whom is 16, are believed to have had no contact with the outside world for almost a decade.

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